Summer Nights
by Malmo722
Summary: Heiress to her father's recording company Sookie Stackhouse returns to Bon Temps with her brother Jason after years of living in Nashville for one relaxing summer before taking over for their retiring father. Sookie realizes quickly that not much has changed in Bon Temps but Eric Northman and Bill Compton are no longer the boys she left behind. AU and AH. Romance/Humor/Angst
1. When It Started

**A/N: I'm writing a story for True Blood. It is AU and AH and I am in love with it. **

**I am rating it T. It has swearing and some sexuality. I may have to make it M later on. **

**Anyway I want to thank Asher55 for editing and encouraging me to write. **

**I hope you all like it.**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

I hadn't been back to Bon Temps in nearly 13 years but it was almost exactly as I remembered it.

The population was still 2,744, there was only one bar, one beauty parlour, two grocery stores, three restaurants, two clothing stores, one pharmacy, one doctors office, police staff of 15, five trailer parks, one elementary and one high school. All the residents were the same, give or take a death or birth or two, church going, god fearing, ignorant, sexually promiscuous or bored, sometimes all of the above.

The Stackhouse home was more or less the same, there had been a few upgrades made to our large plantation style summer home. A pool was put in back, dark hardwood floors, new cream coloured curtains, state of the art kitchen, entertainment system, every movie imaginable and my mother's office was converted into a library for me. The plot of land we lived on was encircled by a forest with two other properties in the same enclosure. The one that faced the front of our house used to be the Compton house, if it still was, I wasn't sure. The house that was to the back was empty when I left but I wasn't sure who lived there now.

Other than the few things that had changed everything else was the exact same as when I left, except now, I was old enough to know how boring it was.

My father and mother insisted that we spend one last summer together in Bon Temps before my father, Corbett Stackhouse, retired from the country music record label he had created in Nashville in 1973. Some of the biggest names in country music, past and present, were signed with Sonnet Records and my father was a country music icon. Now it was either my older brother Jason's or my turn.

My father wanted to get to know us a little better before he turned the company over to one of us. Considering Jason was male and the first born I thought he would be a shoe in but my brother was a distracted soul and my father wasn't sure that's who he wanted taking over not only his company but his legacy.

So here I was, supposed to be spending time with my parents but instead I was reading a trashy romance novel to pass time. My father was called back to work after nine hours of being in Bon Temps and my mother couldn't handle being alone with her children. She left shortly after my father to go on a 'meditation retreat', which actually meant drinking bottles of wine with her gossipy socialite friends in Los Angeles.

I didn't belong here, Jason on the other hand did. I looked up from my book as he ran past me, missing the last three steps, just catching his footing before jumping into his friend Hoyt Fortenberry's car. The sweat on his bare chest reflected the afternoon sun, his shirt was hanging out of the back pocket of his jeans, his hair blonde, like mine, was shimmering and a six pack of beer was in his hand. I watched as Jason hung out the car window, pouring a beer into his mouth as they did donuts on our driveway. I breathed a sigh of relief when they finally drove in the direction of the main road.

I was officially alone. I had gotten used to being alone but deep down I hated it. Even when I was surrounded by others I felt alone. Unfortunately, the only two people I felt truly myself with were my brother and father and they were rarely around, regardless of all our problems. My mother was a write off, she had children to secure her fortune and all the 'friends' I had in Nashville just wanted me to give my father their demo. Country music was not my thing and hanging out with the future Taylor Underwood was not my idea of a good time. Nashville was never my idea of a good time but it was better than Bon Temps.

I went back to my book resting up against one of the pillars on our front porch slipping my feet out of my white Keds before I heard my name. "Sookie Stackhouse?" A man asked me, he was obscured by the sun and it was hard to make out any of his features.

I put my book down and looked in his direction with annoyance. "Yeah?" I said not wanting to make small talk with this person who probably had endless memories of me that I couldn't remember.

"It's me Sook, Bill Compton." He took a step towards me so he was finally out of the sun.

My eyes widened and I felt myself instantly stand. He did not look like the scrawny, short, pale 15 year old I left behind. The boy that I was forced to play with when our parents would get together for brunch every Sunday. He had grown to be 5'11, which towered over my 5'4. His dark brown hair was slicked with sweat from his afternoon jog and his tan skin seemed to glow in the sunlight. He was muscular but not overly so, his Yale alumni shirt did a very good job of showing off his tone, lean body. His brown eyes were warm and his smile was charming, overall he was very inviting and very good-looking.

Maybe Bon Temps wouldn't be so bad after all.

I looked him up and down a final time wiping my hands on my jeans shorts and straightening my white tank top. "Shit, Bill Compton. You are not the boy I forced to eat mud anymore, are you?"

He laughed and wiped his forehead with the back of his forearm. "No, no I am not and you certainly aren't twelve anymore."

He gave me the subtle look up and down taking in how I looked now. I laughed, "Aging is a crazy thing isn't it?" I widened my eyes.

He nodded, "Yeah, yeah." He looked back to the Compton home across the way, it was nice to know it was still the Compton property, then back to me. "Are you doing anything today?"

"I was thinking of taking a swim. We just had the pool put in and I would love some company." I lied. I wasn't sure if I would have the energy to put on 'fake smile Sookie' for an afternoon but if inviting him over meant I could see him in nothing but swim trunks that was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

His smile got wider as he nodded. "That sounds great. I'm just gonna go change and I'll be right back." He turned and started running in the direction of his house as I turned around and went into mine.

I walked up the stairs letting my hand graze the dark mahogany banister on our imperial style staircase. I passed a bathroom then Jason's room before entering my own. It was large space, a large king sized bed in the middle with grey sheets and a white rug covering most of the dark hardwood floor. A large TV was mounted to the wall facing the foot of my bed. To the he right of my bed was an en-suite bathroom and to the left a fireplace in-between two bay doors that led out onto a balcony. In front of the fireplace were two blood red chairs with a dark round wood table in the middle. Fresh roses were placed there everyday for me. One perk of being wealthy I enjoyed. The walls were a muted grey, white curtains hung in front the bay doors and a large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

I walked into my large closet and pulled out a red and white striped bikini and changed quickly. I grabbed my sunglasses, my iPod, two fluffy towels and two beers and headed out the back door.

I had always wanted a pool when I had lived here as a child and I was so happy to have one now. It glimmered a brilliant blue reflecting shards of light onto my body and I could feel my skin absorbing the Vitamin D. I hooked up my iPod and started playing The Beatles. I looked up to scan my view and I could see my neighbours pool about fifty yards away.

Standing around his pool I could see a man, tall, tan, muscular, blonde and very, very naked. He was straddling a deck chair looking down at it. I took a step forward to get a better look and my suspicions were confirmed when two female legs wrapped around his abdomen pulling him down towards her. He hovered above her enough so I could still see him.

I took another step forward quickly looking around for another sign of life but it was just me, mystery legs and the bronzed god above her. I giggled. No Bon Temps wasn't going to be that bad at all.

I took another step forward, my inner voyeur dying to see more before I let out a blood-curdling scream as I fell into the pool.

I surfaced gasping for air pushing my hair out of my eyes before I dove down again to recover my sunglasses. I swam to the edge of the pool only to be eclipsed by a shadow, his shadow. "You alright?" He asked me. "I heard you scream."

I started to pull myself out of the pool before he kneeled down grabbed my arm and pulled me out like I weighed nothing. He placed me down in front of him and if Bill towered over me this man eclipsed me. He was 6'5 easy. He had a defined body, someone who spent time trying to get it in peak physical condition and he liked to show it off, he would have put a shirt on if he didn't. My eyes drifted down to take in the outline of every ab and the indentation of the V at his hips that trailed down and disappeared into the swim suit he had put on, feeling modest apparently. He had a crooked, mischievous smile and his blue, tired eyes looked down at me like he knew something I didn't.

"I'm fine." I said once I finally regained my composure.

"You know you really shouldn't be around a pool if you don't know how to swim." He smiled at me trying to appease my embarrassment but only making me feel more so.

"I can swim fine, I just-" I looked passed to him to his pool where the girl was standing topless yelling for him. I could just barely hear her. He made no motion to look at her if he heard her too. Fuck it, I might as well tell him. "I was distracted watching you and your lady friend have sex and I didn't realize how close I was to the pool and I fell in." I cocked an eyebrow. "You know you really shouldn't be having sex by your pool if people can see you."

He laughed, looking away from me to his house, running his thumb along his lower lip. "I haven't had neighbours in quite some time." He grinned at me. "Old habits die hard, you understand."

"Oh yeah, that's what it'll say on my tombstone, 'Sookie Stackhouse: Understanding'." I rolled my eyes and put my sunglasses back on.

He jerked his head back and looked me up and down as his grin grew to a full-blown smile. "You're Sookie Stackhouse, of course you are." He ran his hand through his hair. "This is the Stackhouse property, of course you're Sookie Stackhouse." He looked me up and down one more time. "You certainly aren't twelve anymore." His voice was deep and husky, there was a Southern twang but not like everyone else. Whoever this person was hadn't lived here his whole life.

"Apparently people in this town are fascinated with me aging." I brought my hands up to my head and ran them through my hair, wringing out the water. "And who are you my mystery sex crazed neighbour?"

He shifted his weight quickly and opened his mouth to answer me but it was Bill's voice I heard. "Ah, I see you've met your neighbour, Eric Northman."

My focus rested on Bill only for a second before turning back to Eric. I pointed at him. "You're Eric Northman?" I was borderline stunned.

He spread out his arms as if he was presenting himself to me. "As I live and breathe."

I looked away from him and then to Bill who wore his lean body as well as I imagined and shook my head. "Jesus, is there something in the fucking water?" I muttered.

"What was that?" Eric asked leaning towards me.

"Nothing," I waved my hand to dismiss him. "It's just the last time I saw you, you were about as tall as you are now and a hundred pounds."

"Well, there's this magical place called the gym and if you go inside it and use the machines, your muscles will grow." He spoke to me like I was a child.

"Do they also serve up a big plate of douche bag when you go to the gym?" I snapped back, already annoyed with him.

His brow cocked in amusement. "Well that was saucy." His grin was back on.

I sighed. "Thank you for making sure I was okay but I am and you can go back to your girlfriend thing now." I pointed in the direction of his house. I turned and started to walk towards where I had left the beers.

I felt my bikini top become loose and I brought my hands up to my breasts to keep them from being exposed. I spun around quickly to see a giggling Eric Northman. "What. The. Actual. Fuck. Eric! Did you seriously just untie my bikini top?!"

"This is going to be a fun summer, I can tell." He took some sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on. "I'll see you around Stackhouse."

"I won't hold my breath." I spat out as I retied my bathing suit top.

"Always a pleasure Compton."

"I can't say the same." Bill's tone indicated that he already hated Eric and it wasn't hard to see why.

"There he is, the cheerful Bill Compton I love!" He sang out as he ran back towards his house.

Once Eric had disappeared into his home I turned towards Bill. "What's his problem?" I asked opening one of the beers handing it to Bill.

"He basks in the misery of others. Believe me, it's better if you steer clear of him." He took a sip of his beer and reached for the sunscreen.

"Why?" I questioned. "Other than the obvious."

"He's a womanizer, lazy, rude, vain. He's just an overall bad character and he loves making me miserable." Bill started rubbing sunscreen all over my arms.

"Why you?" I asked confused.

"I don't know. Who knows why people do what they do?" He shrugged and put the sunscreen down before taking off his sunglasses and diving into the pool, disturbing its calmness.

I casted one more glance to Eric's house before jumping in the water.

Bill and I spent an easy afternoon together; we spoke of nothing too serious, I made him dinner, we drank some beers and he left but not before asking me out.

"I had fun today Sookie." He smiled down at me warmly.

"So did I." I could feel a blush creep into my cheeks.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime? Soon?" He sounded unsure of himself and it made him more endearing, more adorable.

I nodded. "I would like that a lot." I smiled widely to reassure him.

He leaned in and then stopped still so unsure until I moved in and closed the space between us pressing my lips to his. It was a chaste kiss and I knew this was the summer romance I wanted, something simple, something sweet, someone like Bill Compton.

I pulled away from him and he grinned like an idiot. "Okay," he let out a laugh. "I'll call you."

He ran down the steps and across the lawn towards his place.

I breathed in the night air before going in. I locked the door knowing Jason wouldn't be coming home and I went up to my room. I slipped into an oversized t-shirt and got into bed.

I closed my eyes over and over but sleep would not come, like usual. I stood up and walked out onto my balcony, leaning over the railing looking out into the woods. My gaze stopped on the lone light in Eric's house. I could see his silhouette and he was angled in my direction. He was still, almost like he was looking out towards me.

I straightened quickly, I knew he couldn't see me, we were too far apart and it was too dark but it felt like his eyes were on me.

I turned quickly and got back into bed. I rolled over on my side and closed my eyes, trying my hardest not to think of the tall, blonde man living a hundred yards away.

**ERIC**

I hated nights the most. The best I could hope for was passing out on the couch around four and getting a couple hours sleep before whatever girl I bedded early got up and tried to make herself at home.

Tonight her name was Beverly.

I tried to curb some of my assholery with remembering their names. It was the least I could do before I sent them on their way, never to be seen again. Unless I was really desperate.

Beverly was asleep upstairs as I looked out the floor to ceiling windows that lined my living room. My view was of the land and woods surrounding my property and the Stackhouse home up on the hill.

I could see a figure up on the balcony of the home. The person was tiny and it was hard to make out any discernible characteristics but I knew it had to be her.

She couldn't sleep like me.

Two isolated insomniacs.

I remembered Sookie Stackhouse vividly but I remembered her for the chubby tomboy she was, not the headstrong, blonde goddess she had turned into. Tan skin, a slim, tone figure, large brown eyes, sweet smile and pouting lips. I tried not to think about what those lips were capable of.

And she ran into Bill Compton first. He always got to everything before I did but whatever his heart desired always desired me in the end. I had no doubt Sookie would be any different. Eventually she would see my appeal even if it was only for one night.

They all did but she would be a challenge.

She had fight, spunk and would resist me at all costs. My first impression was not the best and it would take a lot of work for her to be drawn to me. It would take my mind off the fact that it was summer, a time I hated even more than nights. I would put all my energy into bedding Sookie Stackhouse and I had no doubt in my mind that I would be successful.

I turned away from the window after the figure disappeared suddenly, like she knew I was watching her and I went to my bookshelf and grabbed whatever random book I happened to land on. Anna Karenina. That would take me some time to read, probably the longest commitment I had ever made.

I poured myself a glass of scotch and laid down on my couch, reading about the life and times of a 19th century Russian socialite, praying for sleep, distracted by the girl next door.

* * *

**Please let me know if you're liking it. Reviews are loved and help encourage me to write more. **

**I'm not getting the Sookie/Eric storyline I want on the actual show so I'm making a storyline of my own. **

**Hope you all enjoyed! **


	2. We Are Gonna Be Friends

**A/N: Thank you so much to MelodyAnderson, TB Eric - Sookie always 85, ciasteczko, ericplenty, outinritefield1, Perfecta999 and the two guests that reviewed. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. No story I have ever written has gotten this much attention so fast, so thank you!**

**Also thank you to Asher55 for editing this chapter and making sure I write. **

**I hope you all like this chapter!**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

Bill called me the next day and we agreed that we would go out to Merlotte's the next evening. The time between our phone call and Bill picking me up was completely uneventful. Jason didn't come home, my parents didn't call, I finished a book and started a new one. I watched six episodes of _Pretty Little Liars_, two episodes of _Hannibal,_ _In the Loop_, _Labyrinth_, _Sixteen Candles_ and _Whip It. _

At around eight o'clock the next day I showered, dried and curled my hair. My make-up was a little dramatic but still simple. Nude eyes with wing tipped eyeliner, blush to high-light my cheeks and blood red lips. I took out a red summer dress, which was tight around my torso and flared out over my hips and some back velvet heels. I grabbed a black clutch, headed down to the kitchen and had a beer while I waited for Bill.

He knocked on my front door at exactly ten. I straightened my dress, made sure my hair was in place and opened the door. Bill stood on the other side wearing black dress pants, black blazer, black dress shoes and a charcoal dress shirt. He looked good, like the type of man I should be with.

"Wow." He said breathlessly. "You look amazing." He took a step into the house and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him, pressing his lips to mine. He parted and looked over my face slowly and smiled. "Take a little pressure off the end of the date kiss."

"Was someone watching _Annie Hall_ today?" I smiled back as I ran my hands over his strong shoulders.

Confusion swept his face. "What's _Annie Hall_?"

I opened and closed my mouth several times debating on whether or not I should explain it to him. In the end I just shook my head. "Nothing, never mind. Do you wanna go?" I asked him.

He nodded, I locked up and we walked across the lawn.

"So, you're sure Merlotte's is okay? We can go somewhere nicer if you want." Bill was looking at me the way most men looked at me when they wanted to take me somewhere, like I would spontaneously combust if I went to a place that didn't have 84-dollar appetizers and an expensive wine list.

"Bill I've spent my entire life in nice places, maybe something dirty is exactly what I need." I grinned and watched him swallow hard as I stepped into his silver BMW sedan. I buckled my seat belt and smoothed out my dress as he ran around and got into the drivers seat.

I had been to Merlotte's before when it first opened about fifteen years ago but I hadn't been back since. I just wanted some beer, some wings and some conversation with the boy next door that grew up to be one hell of a man.

The parking lot was packed so we had to park on the road. "Are you sure you want to go here?" Bill asked me again.

"Bill, if I want to go somewhere else you'll be the first one to know." I reassured him as we stepped into Merlotte's. It was packed and a blonde waitress told us it would be a bit of a wait. Bill and I hovered around the front door waiting for a table to clear out as I took in what Merlotte's looked like now.

The wood paneling had started to curl and the green and burgundy paint had started to chip, the chairs had been reupholstered and the tables had been replaced but other than that it was exactly as I remembered it. The dining area to my left, a pool table to my right and the bar directly across from the door.

Behind said bar was a girl I knew, I knew. Her dark skin, large brown eyes were so familiar, her hair was black and straightened around her face and she had a fed up look on her face that would stun most people. I was shocked it took me so long to recognize her, my old best friend here in Bon Temps.

I pushed my way through the crowd. "Tara?" I exclaimed hoping she would hear me above all the noise.

Her head whipped in my direction with a seriously annoyed look on her face. Her expression softened when she figured out who I was, it took her way less time then it did me. "Sook?!"

I nodded and she jumped over the bar and pulled me into a hug. "Oh my God! You look amazing." She said taking me in after all these years.

"So do you!" I exclaimed over the noise. She was fit, wearing dark wash jeans and a purple tank top that stood out against her skin.

"I was going to stop by your place soon to say hello." She smiled warmly looking down at me.

"How did you know I was back in town?" I questioned.

"Jason's here." She rolled her eyes and pointed in the direction of the pool table. I followed her gaze to see Jason doing several shots before slinging his arm over a clueless looking brunette. "He really hasn't changed has he?" She remarked with a slight chuckle.

I left out a laugh of disbelief. "No, he really hasn't."

"What are you doing at Merlotte's?" She asked changing the subject.

"I'm on a date." I said waving Bill over. He was kind enough to give me space while I reconnected with my old friend. "Tara, you know Bill Compton, from when we were, you know, kids." I said wrapping my arm around his waist.

She looked him up and down with a dark look and nodded. "Yeah, I know Bill. What's up?"

"I'm very well Tara." He smiled at her stand-offish nature. "How are you?"

"Real good Bill, thanks." She looked from him back to me. "LaFayette would love to see you."

"Tara, where is my drink?" A clearly drunk older woman screeched in our direction.

"Jane you will get your fucking drink when I'm good and ready to serve it to you." Tara shouted back as she escorted me to the back where the kitchen was. I laughed, she was still the same old Tara. She never let anyone walk all over her and always said her piece.

She pushed me through the kitchen door. "Lafayette, look who's here!" Tara said walking up to LaFayette making him turn away from whatever it was he was making.

"Sookie Stackhouse?" The gold eyeshadow that covered eyes stood out against his dark skin as looked me up and down with an amused look on his face. He had a gold scarf wrapped around his head, a black and gold tank top with a deep V covering his torso, dark blue jeans covering his legs and black and gold sneakers on his feet. "Look at you baby girl, you certainly aren't twelve anymore are you?" He came up to me and gave me a big hug.

"That's what they tell me." I laughed out as he released me from his grip.

"This summer is gonna be fun with you around Blondie, I can practically smell the trouble on you." He leaned in and breathed in deep. He looked past me to Bill who was leaning up against the door frame. "You best keep her away from Eric, she's his brand bottled." He gave a dramatic flip of his head before heading back to the stove.

"I intend to." Bill said firmly.

I looked back to him and then back at LaFayette. "I think I am perfectly capable judge of what company I keep, thank you very much." I said annoyed with both of them.

LaFayette laughed. "You stick around, I want to have a drink with you gorgeous." He half turned his body and pointed at me with the spatula he was using.

"I'll be here. I'm sure Tara will keep me here past close." I winked at him knowing that I couldn't stay annoyed with him for that long. I turned and exited the kitchen.

Tara had made sure a table was cleared for Bill and me and we were seated the moment we hit the dining room.

Once drinks and food were ordered bill caught me up on his life.

"So you're a stock broker." I said taking a long refreshing sip of my beer when it finally arrived. Merlotte's was definitely short staffed.

"I look over people's stocks and trade them on their behalf. My father does the same thing, so it only made sense that I would follow in his foot steps." Bill was always clear, precise, pronouncing everything. Good, clean, holism. He drank sweet tea.

"You're a wolf of Wall Street then?" I said trying to get him to lighten up.

He laughed, smoothing out his hair. Not a single one was out of place. "No, no nothing that shady or sordid. Although I do work with men like that."

I made a face of disgust. "Ew."

He nodded. "It's quite unfortunate but I'm not that kind of a man." He smiled shyly.

"What kind of man are you, Bill Compton?" I said flirtatiously.

"The good kind of man. At least I'd like to think so." He had trouble looking me in the eye. He was nervous.

I couldn't help but smile. "You are adorable Bill."

"That is not an adjective most would use to describe me." I could see the blush creep into his cheeks. I would never get sick of making boys blush.

Our food came and we continued to learn more about each other since we last saw one another. He had gone to Yale after he finished high school here in Bon Temps and had gone on to be a track star there. He had an amazing penthouse apartment, celebrated Christmas in the Caribbean every year and socialized with the New York elite. "Basically now, I'm just looking to settle down."

I nodded. "I don't really know what I'm looking for right now. I went to school to be an educator so I think that's what I'm most likely going to end up doing." I took the last sip of my beer before a red-headed waitress took the bottle.

"What about the record company?" He asked me curiously.

I shrugged. "Jason is most likely going to take it over. He works their now, he knows the business and I hate country music."

He laughed. "The daughter of a country music legend hates country music. That's funny." He smiled at me warmly. "Do you want to leave?"

I looked around the restaurant and noticed the kitchen was closed and almost everyone was gone. LaFayette was coming towards us with some shot glasses and a bottle of tequila. He flopped down beside Bill. "I decided that your drink is tequila cause tequila is dangerous and that's what you is." He smiled at me as he poured three shots and pushed one my way, one to Bill and kept one for himself.

"Oh no, none for me. I'm driving." Bill pushed the shot away from him.

"I'll take it then," drawled a monotone voice. I looked up to see an intimating blonde women with dramatic makeup. She was about 5'8, curvy, leather pants, tight black tank top and a leather jacket. She looked about as unamused as one could look. She reached down and took the shot without flinching. "Move over sugar." She said in my direction.

I shoved over and stuck out my hand. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

She looked at my hand with irritation. "I know who you are." All her vowels were dragged out.

My eyes widened and I took a deep breath. "Well that's hunky dory sweetheart but who the fuck are you?" I looked at her with pursed lips.

Her smile grew slowly until it encompassed her face. "I'm Pam." She looked over at LaFayette slowly. "This one's trouble."

He nodded, "Mmm-hmm." He took another shot.

"You better make sure Eric doesn't meet her." She looked at Bill. "He has a type and this is pretty much what it looks like." She eyed me before throwing a look at LaFayette.

"What do you mean a type? Woman is his type." They both started laughing and gave each other a high five.

"I can take care of myself. Eric Northman is not that appealing." That was a lie but I could tell that Bill was becoming more and more uncomfortable. I also didn't like that they assumed I didn't have a choice.

"Have you met Eric yet?" Pam asked me taking the shot LaFayette poured for her.

I nodded.

She looked over at Bill. "Oh Bill, I'm so sorry." The look of sympathy turned into a grin as Tara slid into the booth and threw her arms around her, kissing her.

I wave of shock came over me as I witnessed their embrace. Tara parted and looked past Pam to me. "Sookie, this is my girlfriend Pam, Pam this is Sookie." She reached across the table and took the shot LaFayette had just poured.

"We were just getting aquatinted, Pam seems…. nice." I smiled in Pam's direction and she returned it with a bitchy smile of her own.

"What a fucking night." Tara said rubbing her eyes. "We need another waitress really badly."

"You need a waitress?" I chimed in. "I could be a waitress."

Tara's eyes widened and her smile grew. "Sam!" She shouted as an older, shaggy looking man came out of the back.

"What?" He said as he approached the table. The red headed waitress came up to stand behind him.

I shot a quick glance at Bill who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat before looking back at Sam.

"Sam, this is Sookie Stackhouse." Tara motioned to me and Sam's eyes widened. "And she would like to be Merlotte's newest waitress, which we desperately need by the way."

"Have you ever waitressed before?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "Nope, but I can learn. I'm here for the summer and I've got nothing but time."

"Hire her Sam," said Tara.

"Listen to Tara Sam," LaFayette chimed in. "You put this girl in short shorts and Eric Northman behind your bar there will be so many people in here you can retire early."

"Eric Northman?" Bill sighed. "He still works here?"

"Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and every other Saturday." Tara said cheerfully.

"Sookie, you don't need to do this." Bill's eyes pleaded with me not to take the job but I felt like I couldn't say no. I could spend the whole summer with my friends coming home to him in the evenings. Eric was something I could handle.

"Sorry, boredom trumps douche bag. If you want to give me the job I'd love to have it." I smiled warmly at Sam.

"Hire her Sam, I never get to see my kids no more." The red head pleaded with him.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll get you the papers." He returned five minutes later with all the things I needed to fill out.

Tara squealed with delight and LaFayette looked pleased.

"Isn't this exciting Pam?" Tara said kissing her cheek.

"Hooray." Pam rolled her eyes.

I filled out all the paper work and handed it to Sam. "Be here tomorrow at five." He said handing me a white shirt and an apron.

I said all my goodbyes and Bill and I left. I talked to much all the way home because I could feel the uncertainly coming off of him in his silence. He walked me to my door and we hovered awkwardly in front of it. "You wanna come in?" I asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "Not tonight. I'm not that kind of guy." He smiled weakly.

I took a step towards him a grabbed his hands. "Please don't worry. Okay?" I kissed him lightly causing him to smile.

"Okay." He pulled me into his arms and kissed me with more passion. He wouldn't come inside but he was okay with making out on the porch swing for twenty minutes. I watched him drive off and I gathered up my things and went inside.

Jason wasn't home like usual and I sighed hating the sound of my house when it was this empty. I stripped down, took a shower and laid down in my bed. I wasn't going to sleep for a few hours so I grabbed my book, my phone, a blanket and headed outside.

**ERIC**

I had gone for a walk after I had one too many beers and needed to sober up. There were no ladies that night, no names to remember, no one to avoid. Unfortunately the only thing worse than a house with a stranger in it was a house with no one it and I need to get out.

I wouldn't have notice her if she didn't laugh.

Sookie was sitting on a plush deck chairs reading a book. It was four in the morning and here she was reading, listening to music. I walked up on her deck and sat next to here. "What are you reading?" I inquired.

If she was startled by me she didn't show it. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head and she was wearing a black tank top, no bra and grey sweatpants. She tilted the front of the book in my direction. "The Billionaire's Secret Wife."

"How is it?" I asked, rubbing my face, starting to feel the weight of my day and alcohol.

"It may be the best thing ever written." She said playfully but her voice was tired like mine. There was a moment of silence between us. "Do you even own a shirt?" She asked.

I looked down at my bare chest, I didn't even notice I wasn't wearing one. "If my abs are that distracting you can just say so." I was trying to come across as charming as possible but my mind was betraying me and I just sounded sluggish.

She was trying not to smile but I saw the slightest tug at the corner of her mouth. There was more silence between us. "What are you listening to?" I asked.

"It's called 'Bedside Manner' by Dawes." she said as she turned the page.

"It's good, it suits this time of night." I closed my eyes, resting my head against the cushion.

"I know." She said confidently. "So, you're a night owl?" She said turning another page.

"Sort of." I sighed. "Sleep and me are not friends."

"Ditto."

We were silent again for quite sometime as I listen to her turn the pages. "Why were you laughing?" I finally asked.

"What?"

"You laughed when I was walking past, what was so funny?" I looked over at her as she looked at me. Her face was bare of makeup, the darkness under her eyes more prominent than the first time we met. She was beautiful, the real kind of beautiful. Stripped down.

She smiled and flipped back a few pages. "She gasped as Fernando took her perfect cherry nipple into his mouth." She rubbed her eyes as a wide smile spread across her face. "Cherry nipple is so stupid." She burst out into a giggle fit as she continued to rub her eyes.

Her laughter was infectious and I was laughing along with her without even realizing it. "That is pretty stupid." I said as I stood to go. "I'll leave you to it then."

Just before I stepped off her deck she spoke. "I got a job at Merlotte's."

Her comment made me stop and look over my shoulder at her. "Really?" I said with more interest in my voice than necessary. I turned to face her.

She nodded. "Yep, I'm the newest waitress and while I've never had a job before I understand that when two co-workers don't like each other it makes for an undesirable work environment." The twang in her voice had become even more prominent than the day I met her, the few days in Bon Temps had brought her roots right out of her. "So," she got up off the deck chair and made her way towards me. "That having been said I would like to start over." She stopped right in front of me and I looked down at her as she stuck out her hand. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

I took her hand in mine and shook it. "Eric Northman." I smiled a crooked smile, my only true smile.

"It's nice to meet you Eric." She smiled warmly.

"Ditto." I let go of her hand. "When do you start?"

"Tomorrow."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow Stackhouse." I gave her one last look before walking back to my place.

I fell into bed, falling asleep instantly for the first time in forever, actually looking forward to tomorrow.

* * *

**So there was chapter 2. Like always, reviews are loved and appreciated. I love to know what everyone thinks. **

**Thanks so much for reading! **


	3. Dirty Work

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for the follows and the favs. It makes me so so happy. Thank you outinritefield1, ap630, suzyq59, ashmo2000, Bella-mi-amore, ciasteczko, ericplenty and Perfecta999 for your kind reviews. I really appreciate it. **

**Thank you to Asher55 for editing this chapter and all your encouragement. **

**This is chapter 3. I hope you all like it.**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

I showed up at Merlotte's a little before five and the redhead whose name turned out to be Arlene showed me around.

After I was aware of everything in the bar, dining room, kitchen and servery, I stored my purse and jacket in Sam's desk and ran out to the dining room.

"Okay, so when does training start?" I asked Arlene eagerly.

She smiled. "See those three tables in the corner there?" She pointed to the far left corner. I nodded. "Those are yours."

"I'm not shadowing you on your tables?" I followed her as she went to wipe down a table.

"Nope." She finished cleaning the table, placed the salt and pepper shakers back where they belonged.

I looked between her and the tables. "Wait, my training is done?"

She walked over to the servery. "No sweetheart it's just beginning but the only way you're going to learn is by doing it, so, good luck." She turned, picked up a tray and handed it to me. "Oh and it doesn't matter what special instructions you give LaFayette, it's coming out pretty much the way he wants so try to avoid catering to people." She smiled her fake waitress smile at me and went to the direction of the pool table.

I stood there nervously. I had never served anyone before, I never had a job. I had no idea what the protocol was when serving someone. I cautiously peered into the dining room as an elderly couple sat down in my section. I winced as someone slapped me on the back. "Get out there Stackhouse, those tables aren't gonna serve themselves." Eric's grinned at me as he took his place behind the bar.

"Eric," I followed him behind the bar. "I don't know what to do." I tugged on the hem of his black tank top, which was too small for him. It made his muscles look bigger; I assumed that was the effect he was going for.

"Have you ever been to a restaurant before?" He asked as he began to cut up limes and lemons.

I nodded.

"Well, think about how those servers served you and then do that to that table there." He motioned to my table. I just stared at him. "Jesus Stackhouse, go, do it, you'll be fine." He rolled his eyes as he stopped cutting lemons, placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me out of the bar area. I hesitated. "Go!" He shouted at me.

The loudness and authority in his voice caused me to jump into action. I walked up to the couple and decided to jump right in; it was all I could do. "Hi folks, I'm Sookie and I'll be-"

The elderly woman cut me off grabbing my hands. "Sookie!? Sookie Stackhouse!?" I nodded. "Awe look at you, look at how much you've grown. You're so beautiful."

I smiled. "Thank you. Can I get you something to drink?" I had no idea who these people were but I was ready with my paper and pen to take their order.

"What are you doing waitressing?" She took my hand in hers in a very concerned way. "Is everything okay..." She looked around to make sure no one was listening, "financially?"

"Everything is fine. I just got a summer job while I'm here in Bon Temps. Anything to drink?"

She smiled at me sweetly. "Two sweet teas please."

I grinned; pleased I finally got their drink order out of her. "Comin' right up."

The bar was busy that night and I fell behind. Everyone wanted to talk to me about how I was doing or how my father was or if Jason had gotten married or what I was doing waitressing. It took me forever to get their orders out of them and that in turn took them forever to get their food, which was usually wrong. It was safe to say that I wasn't a natural at this waitressing thing and by 11:30 I had only made two dollars in tips.

I threw my tray down at the bar when it started to slow down some.

"You need to learn to blow people off." Eric said as he wiped off the bar abandoning a bottle blonde at the other end of the bar to come and talk to me.

"No shit." I tightened my ponytail. "I'm expecting, hoping really, that my novelty will wear off soon and the questions will stop."

"It also doesn't help that everyone knows how rich you are. It's hard to make tips." He ran his hand through his hair which was combed back to make him look like he tried but not too hard.

"No shit." I repeated again as I looked up at him. "This music is terrible too, it really doesn't make for a comfortable work environment." I rubbed my face. I really hated country music.

"Well it is a country bar." I could hear people come in and sit in my section. He looked at the table and then to me. "Give me your phone." He stuck out his hand. I gave it to him as he tossed whatever iPod was on the dock out and then hooked mine up. Aerosmith started to play.

"Thank you." I sighed as I picked up my tray and walked over to my table.

I heard Arlene protest the music. "Oh Eric, put Garth back on."

"Nope, it's after eleven we get to take the music back from the truck driving, beer drinking, god fearing rednecks of Bon Temps. Educate yourself a little Arlene!" He encouraged her.

I smiled at his comment as I went to introduce myself but I realized I didn't need to. "Jason?" I asked.

"Sookie, what are you doing here?" His brows knitted together with concern. "Are you lost?"

"No, I work here."

"Why?" The idea of me working seemed preposterous to him.

"Something to do." I shrugged. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Three pitchers of Bud please." He grinned at me, the same shit eating grin he had had since he was a boy.

"Since it's only you and Hoyt," I looked over at him, "Hi Hoyt."

He blushed and gave me a friendly smile. "Hey Sook."

"Since it's only you two I'll bring you two pitchers, one now and the other later."

"Jeez Sook, you are really eating into your tip right now." Jason said as I walked away.

"Well I wouldn't want to change the narrative tonight now would I?" I muttered as I asked Eric to pour me a pitcher of Bud.

They ended up having three pitchers and leaving at one when the bar closed. During this time Arlene taught me all the closing duties I needed to know. It was pretty basic stuff, fill ketchup, fill up the salt and pepper shakers, make sure the tables, chairs and floors were clean and make sure the servery was tidy. Eric worried about the bar and Lafayette worried about the kitchen at twelve when it closed. Everything was done by 1:30.

I plopped down on one of the bar stools. "I did it." I said exhausted but triumphant.

"You did. You wanna a tequila shot to celebrate?" Eric asked me putting a shot glass up on the bar.

"Uh, hells yeah I do." I smiled as he poured it and I took it straight.

"How much did you make in tips?" He asked as he cleaned up my glass.

I took out all the rumbled one-dollar bills from my apron and counted them. "Eight dollars. Most of it was from Jason." I felt my nose crumble in disappointment as Eric snatched the money from my hand. "Hey!" I cried.

"That will pay for the shot you just did." He grinned at me as he put the money in the cash register.

"I didn't realize I was going to have to pay for it." I said grumpily, crossing my arms.

"First rule of business, never take a deal until you know all the details. You're gonna run a company Stackhouse, you can't just take deals willy nilly." He winked at me as he turned to go into the back taking off his shirt in the process.

Fuck Eric Northman, what did he know about business? How did he even know I was going to run a business? On the other hand, if I learned anything from tonight, everyone knew everything about everyone in Bon Temps.

I got up and followed him to the back to retrieve my purse and jacket. Eric was buttoning up a short-sleeved white dress shirt before grabbing his leather jacket. "Do you have plans tonight, Stackhouse?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I'm actually pretty tired so I'm hoping sleep will come easier tonight. What about you? What happened to Bottle Blonde Barbie?"

"Denise," he corrected me, "and she's waiting by the car." He said as we exited Sam's office.

"Eric! You have her waiting by the car like some sort of dog?" I reprimanded him.

"What? I didn't ask her to do it, she said she'd wait for me." He said defensively. "I have never, ever made a woman do anything she didn't want to do. I just have a talent for attracting women who want to do ridiculous things for me." He shrugged.

"Have you done anything ridiculous for a woman?" I asked with my hands on my hips, stopping just before we exited the building. LaFayette had left at 12:30 and Arlene had left when Eric told her he would make sure everything was locked up so it was just the two of us.

"Well that would require caring and embarrassing myself and I do neither of those things so no." He pushed past me and opened the door. "Out."

I walked out of the bar in to the parking lot and saw the girl leaning against Eric's car as he locked up. Parked next to my car was Bill holding flowers, waiting for me.

I smiled and ran up to him, throwing my arms around him, kissing him. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I wanted to be here to see how your first night went." He brushed a stray hair out of my face.

"It was okay, I need a lot more practice." I said taking the flowers from his hand, smelling them, "You didn't need to do this?" I smiled at him.

"I know." He kissed me again before we were both startled by a girl squealing.

We both looked over to see Eric slapping the butt of his new conquest before she stepped into the car. He looked over at us as he walked around his restored 1972 black Dodge Charger. "See you later Stackhouse." He shouted at me, ignoring Bill and speeding off.

"How was he tonight?" Bill asked.

"Fine." I shrugged and smiled.

He looked up to where Eric's car had disappeared with a worried look on his face. "Mmm-hmm."

"Do you wanna come over?" I asked. "Watch a movie?"

He nodded. "Sure." He smiled. "I'll follow in my car."

I nodded and we kissed before we got into our respective cars. The ride over was uneventful until I pulled off the main road onto the road that led to the enclosure that housed our homes. There were cars everywhere and I knew they weren't here for Eric or Bill.

I pulled up to the house to see people littering our porch, the front door was wide open and I could see tons of people inside. "Jason!" I screamed out in frustration as I sloppily parked my 1995 red Mercedes and started walking briskly towards the house.

"Baby girl!" LaFayette came up to me and started to dance with me. "You finally made it. Tara was asking 'bout you."

"Where is Jason?" I asked seriously.

"Why?" He seemed offended that I ignored what he said previously.

"Cause I'm gonna fucking kill him that's why!" I took a step into the house. "JASON!" I screamed before moving into the kitchen.

He was standing around our marble island chugging a beer from a funnel. "Jason!" I walked up to him as he straightened out and moved away from me. "What in the world wide fuck are you doing? How did you do this? I saw you forty-five minutes ago. There is well over a hundred people here. How? How?" I started pushing him.

I was annoyed, I had just worked a nine hour shift and I was tired. The last thing I wanted was a bunch of strangers in my house keeping me awake.

"Sook." He said calmly with his hands out as if to create a buffer between us.

"Oh and what a wonderful instinct to not fucking tell me you were planning a fucking party at our fucking house at two in the fucking morning." I screamed at him.

"Sook!" He shouted my name louder this time.

"Get them out of here Jason!"

"Sookie!"

"What!?"

"How would you like to become president of the funnel club?" He put his arm around my shoulders and pointed towards Hoyt who was holding the funnel in front of him.

Everyone was looking at me expectantly. I looked up at Jason. "If anyone is in my room I will fucking kill you." I looked up at Hoyt. "Let's do this."

Jason disappeared, I assumed to make sure no one was in my room as Hoyt got the funnel ready. I managed to drink it quickly without spilling it all over myself and was met with a chorus of applause. I bowed quickly before running over to Bill who was standing in the doorway between my kitchen and living room. "Sorry I didn't wait for you but I had to deal with…" I motioned to the chaos around us.

He smiled. "I understand." He took a sip of the beer that he had and looked around the kitchen. "Your house is beautiful."

"Yeah it's nice." I smiled at him. "Do you wanna go upstairs?" I asked just wanting to get away from everyone. That was when Eric approached us.

**ERIC**

She was funneling a beer when I walked in with Denise. She wasn't the fastest I had every seen but it was clear that it wasn't her first time. I couldn't help but clap along with everyone else when she finished.

"Why did we have to come here?" Denise whined beside me. "I thought things were going really well back at your place." She was trying to make herself sound sexy but all she was doing was starting to annoy me.

I took out my house keys. "Here are the keys to my place. If you want to go wait for me you are more than welcome but I need to put in an appearance." I was looking in Sookie's direction, she was in Bill's arms, smiling and laughing.

Denise huffed. "Fine, I'm gonna go get a drink."

I made my way over to them. "Thanks for inviting me to your party Stackhouse and I thought we were friends." I said faking a hurt tone while smiling as brilliantly as possible.

"I had no idea it was going to happen, very impromptu, you understand." She grinned me repeating some the first words I had spoken to her back to me.

I looked over at Bill. "It was her first night at Merlotte's tonight."

"I am aware," Bill said shortly.

"She's a pretty good waitress." I said smiling.

She laughed and nudged my arm. "No I'm not."

I laughed. "No you really aren't, you're a terrible waitress."

"I'll get better." She looked from me to Bill and he smiled at her.

"Sook!" Tara came running around the corner and grabbed her shoulder. "Bill," she nodded at Bill, then at me. "Eric, Sookie I've been looking everywhere for you." She took Sookie's hand and led her away from us both.

Just like that she was gone and I was left alone with Bill.

He sucked air in through his teeth. He was dressed impeccably. He wanted to make sure everyone here knew he wasn't from Bon Temps anymore, that he was better than all off us. What an asshole. He was looking around at all the people around us. "So which one of these bottom of the barrel hicks have you decided to bring home tonight?" He grinned like an asshole.

I laughed wiping my bottom lip. "Compton, have I told you that my favourite quality of yours is your humour. You're hilarious."

He did not think it was funny. "Stay away from Sookie and don't give her a hard time at work." He looked me up and down like I was garbage before walking away from me, grabbing two beers and looking for Sookie I could only assume.

I went to their fridge and took a beer out and drank it quickly, I grabbed a second and started looking for Denise and I found her under the arm of Jason Stackhouse. I rolled my eyes. "Forget it." I mumbled to myself, walking up a staircase to get away from the country music that was pumping out of a sound system that seemed to be wired through the bottom floor.

The Stackhouse home was beautiful but impersonal. There were no pictures, nothing to indicate that a family lived her. This was just glorious, temporary housing for people that had everything and didn't want to be reminded they were staying in Bon Temps. I opened the first door I came across and leaned up against the door once inside, sighing deeply.

"Can I help you?" her voice asked me.

I looked up to see Sookie sitting on a large king sized bed. She had changed out of her uniform into capri cut yoga pants and a Nirvana t-shirt. "Is this your bedroom?" I asked taking a step into the room.

She nodded. "You and me keep meeting in the strangest places." Her hair which she had let down bounced around her shoulders.

"You mean the places we work and live, I know, it's weird." I said in my most sarcastic tone. "I thought you'd be downstairs with your adoring fans." I started thumbing through her record collection, my back to her.

"I needed to use the washroom and change and have a minute to myself. I'm very tired." I turned to look at her and she yawned almost on cue.

"I can go tell them you fell down a well or something if you want." I said pointing at the door.

She laughed. "No, no, I'm ready to go now." She stood and walked towards me. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"I needed a minute to myself." I looked down at her as she looked up at me. She eyed me suspiciously and then exited heading down her epic front foyer double staircase.

"What happened to Desiree?" She asked not looking at me.

"Denise," I said looking at everyone in the foyer. I spotted Tara, Pam and LaFayette and then my eyes drifted up to Bill who was seething. I smiled directly at him as I grabbed Sookie, stopping her. She looked at me confused. "Your brother picked her up, now I'm alone, I actually really liked her." I said trying to sound sad.

I went into hug her. She wrapped her arms around me hesitantly. I hugged her tightly looking right at Bill, giving him the most devious smile I could muster. "Okay." Sookie said pushing me away from her. "There are plenty of females at this party, I'm sure one of them has impaired their judgment enough to go home with you." She waded through people when she got to the bottom of the stairs, bee lining to Bill who she began kissing, running her hands through his hair.

LaFayette came up to me and started dancing. Someone had commandeered the music and now we were listening to 90's hip-hop. He threw his arms around my shoulders and started moving his hips against mine. I placed my hands on his hips. "Eric, most of the time I don't care who you wanna stick your dick in but I think this whole thing you're doing with Bill and Sookie is bad news."

I looked down at him. LaFayette had been my best friend since 9th grade. We were an unlikely pair but we never judged each other, always had each other's back and were there for one another in our darkest and toughest moments. He was the closest thing I had to family. "What are you talking about?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Hookah please."

I sighed. "I'm just having fun and trying to fuck over Bill Compton, you know, Bill Compton the fucker who tortured you all through high school. Remember that? He doesn't deserve a woman like that." I moved my eyes up to where I had last saw him and Sookie, they were gone.

"I don't seem to hate him quite as much as you. People change Eric, forgive and forget all that shit. You've known her for ten days, get a hold of yourself." He smacked me in the face playful and wondered into the kitchen.

I stood in her foyer, without a girl, without a friend, completely alone while surrounded by almost every person in town. I didn't know why this was so important to me, I wouldn't gain much by tormenting Bill Compton, even if seeing him squirm was unbelievably entertaining. It kept me occupied if nothing else and from what I knew about her so far Sookie was someone I could actually tolerate while I made her see the light that was called Eric Northman.

I got home and began scrolling through Netflix wondering how long it would take me to fall asleep and what my next move would be to woo Sookie Stackhouse.

* * *

**That was chapter 3. Did you like it? **

**I have this rated T but if you believe I should up it to M let me know. **

**Reviews are wonderful and appreciated. They are very encouraging. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. I'm the Exception to the Rule

**A/N: I edited this chapter myself so if the grammar and spelling are extra bad that would be why. **

**I want to thank ashmo2000, MelodyAnderson, ciasteczko, suzyq59, ericplenty Perfecta999 and puff ally for the lovely reviews of the last chapter and for sticking with the story. Also a big thanks to all those who don****'****t review but still read and follow and favourite. It makes me want to write faster. **

**I hope you enjoy Chapter 4, I personally love this chapter.**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

May quickly turned into June and my life found a somewhat steady routine in Bon Temps. I worked one day shift and three night shifts a week. Work was becoming more and more comfortable and people finally stopped asking about me which was a relief. Eric was cordial, kind, helpful and funny while still managing to be a cocky asshole. I spent my nights off with Bill or Tara if Bill wasn't available. Jason threw three more parties and I realized that it was something that was going to continue all summer.

Bill had taken to working from home a couple days a week so that he could stay in Bon Temps and not fall too behind on work. He had decided to do that on this particular Tuesday, so to pass time before going to work I went out to swim and tan.

I put on a simple black bikini grabbed some shorts and a shirt and headed out to the pool. I swam a couple of laps before lying out on a deck chair. I hit play on my iPhone as David Bowie filled the air and I closed my eyes.

It was hot. It was hot in Nashville but the heat was different here, it was just hotter. Maybe it was because everything moved so slowly here I had time to feel it.

I let my mind wander to Bill and my hopes that I could get him to open up a little bit, sexually. He was okay with kissing and had roaming hands but that was about it. Every time I tried to further things he would stop me. I didn't know if it was because he was old fashioned or if he just liked taking things slow but I need the mix of naughty and nice and so far Bill was just nice.

My music went silent and I could hear my phone buzzing beside me as I tried to soak up as much sun as possible. I lazily felt around on the table beside me until I found my phone and brought it to my ear. "Hello."

"How's that sun treating you, Stackhouse?" Eric said with the same type of assured cockiness he always had.

"Like a piece of bacon." I turned over and looked in the direction of his house. "You spying on me, Northman?" I asked as I spotted him standing on his patio looking in my direction.

"Bon Temps is really boring, I have to take my entertainment anyway I can get it. What are you doing today?" He asked me as he started to pace.

I rolled over onto my back. "Nothing much. I work at six then I'm seeing Bill afterwards. What about you?"

"I gave my shift to Tara, so I have the day off and I was wondering if you wanted come over a watch a movie, kill our boredom together." I rolled over again and looked at him, he was looking at me and shrugged.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. The matter of fact was I liked Eric. He was funny, clever, smart and maintained enough mystery to be interesting. His shallow facade, I believed, was just that but I was still cautious of him. I wanted friendship and nothing more, friendship was something I couldn't pass up. I had my fair share of fake friendships for the gain of the other person involved and the only way I could know if Eric Northman wanted something more from me was to get to know him better. He wasn't going away, so why not?

"I'll be right over." I said standing.

"Just come in through the back door." He hung up and walked into his house.

I slipped on my Keds, put on my jeans shorts, a teal chiffon top, grabbed my phone and headed towards Eric's. I opened the gate that surrounded his pool and approached his back door. Written in lipstick in large bold block letters on his sliding glass door was the word, 'ASSHOLE'. I stopped for a moment to look at it before my lips pulled into a half smile and I stepped inside his home.

His living room was very minimalistic, a large, black sectional, a solidly built oak coffee table and two end tables, a grey rug, light hardwood floors, floor to ceiling windows, a ceiling fan, two lamps and a gigantic television. There was no art on the walls, no pictures of any kind.

"Eric?!" I shouted.

"Kitchen!" he shouted back.

I shrugged looking around cluelessly. "It would fucking help if I knew where your kitchen was." I mumbled to myself as I walked further into his home. His living room led into his large foyer with polished concrete floors, his front door to my right and a wall of floor to ceiling windows was in front of me that led to his kitchen to my left. I realized that whatever house was here before was torn down and rebuilt to his liking. I knew Eric was rich but I never really thought about the scope of his wealth until that moment.

He was standing at his white tile island eating a sandwich with a half finished beer in front of him. In typical Eric fashion he was shirtless wearing dark blue valour track pants. "Do you know that is says asshole on your sliding glass door?" I asked approaching the island.

He looked up at me and smiled. "Hey Stackhouse, you made it." He walked over to his stainless steel fridge and handed me a beer.

"Who did you piss off enough to write that on your window?" I asked opening the beer.

"Apparently asking someone to leave your home makes you an asshole." His eyes widened in annoyance and he placed his plate in the sink.

"Rude maybe." I shrugged.

"It's the risk I take, I suppose." He looked up at me with his smile back on and grabbed his beer. "You wanna decide what to watch?" He walked back into his living room and looked in the cupboard that was under his TV.

"What are my choices?" I stood awkwardly around his couch.

He pulled out two DVD's. "So we can watch either _Clueless_ or _Sorority Sluts 7_." He held them up to me. "Or Netflix."

"_Clueless_ is fine." I said with a smirk on my face, sitting down. "_Sorority Sluts 7_, seriously?" I questioned.

"The cinematography is superb." He grinned as he put the movie into the player. I couldn't help but laugh.

The movie started and he sat down next me. His placement was strategic, he was close enough that if he were to cross his legs his knee would touch my thigh but he was far enough away that I could move around without touching him.

I tried to focus as Cher got ready for school in a closet I was always envious of as a girl but my eyes kept drifting to the lipstick stained glass door. "Are you not going to clean that up?" I motioned to the door.

"My cleaning lady doesn't come till Thursday." He didn't take his eyes off the screen.

"It doesn't bother you?" I asked aggravated.

He looked at the window and then to me. "No, not really." He turned back to the movie.

I stared at him for a couple of seconds before I huffed and got off his couch, walking towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" He called after me.

I walked into his kitchen, found some Windex, a roll of paper towel and walked out onto his patio. He joined me. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning." I said like it was obvious which I thought it was.

"OCD much?" He said grabbing some paper towel and Windex and started cleaning from the bottom.

"If something can be cleaned, why leave it?" I started working on the A.

We worked or a few moments before Eric broke the silence. "You know what I don't understand? I have a reputation. I have one night stands with women, that's what I do. Everyone knows it. It's not a fucking mystery so why do all these women get so mad when I don't want want anything else?" He was scrubbing the window furiously.

"Have you every seen _He__'__s Just Not That Into You_?" I asked him as I stopped cleaning to get new paper towel.

He stood doing the same. "Do I look like the the type of guy that has seen _He__'__s Just Not That Into You_?" He looked at me like I was crazy to even ask him if he had seen this movie.

I started at him with a cocked eyebrow and an unamused expression. "Yeah, you do."

His expression changed to one of embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from me. "Yeah, I've seen it, so what?" He went back to cleaning.

"So there is a part where the protagonist Gigi is told by Justin Long that there are exceptions and rules when it comes to men and women." I sprayed more Windex onto the glass. "Gigi is told that if she keeps going out with the same type of guys who don't want a relationship thinking that she is going to be the one, this new guys exception, she is just going to get her heart broken because the matter of fact is most women are the rule and not the exception."

"Is there a point to all this?" He asked getting new paper towel.

"Women are attracted to strong, handsome men-"

He stood up and smiled at me like an idiot. "You think I'm handsome?" A thin layer of sweat covered his body as the sun reflected off his toned body.

I rolled my eyes and continued. "And you're wealthy which is very attractive to women cause for some reason women don't think they can accumulate their own wealth."

"I'm sorry, what was that Ms. That's Easy For You To Say," he cupped a hand behind his ear, "I couldn't hear you over the sound of your families money." He threw a used paper towel at me.

I ignored him. "So this one, what was her name?" I asked pointing at the glass.

"Jeanette."

"So Jeanette has heard all the rumours and seen all the women and thought, you know what? They all failed but I'm different, I'll charm him and dazzle him and let him do whatever he wants like cum inside me?" I questioned as looked at him at out of the corner of my eye.

"I was wearing a condom so yeah I came inside her." He shrugged.

"Look at you all responsible and shit." I said nudging him in the arm supportively.

"I've never had unprotected sex."

"Really?" I stopped everything I was doing. "Never?'

"I've never had a girl that I was okay doing that with. STD's suck and babies are even worse. I'm a whore, not an idiot." He sprayed more Windex on the door, not looking at me.

"Okay good to know, anyway, Jeanette thought, you know what, he'll see something in me that he has never seen in any other girl and in the morning he'll beg me to stay and he won't be able to wait to call me and wine and dine me and get married and have ten thousand babies. She doesn't realize that she's just like all the other girls, that she is the rule. So when you kicked her out this morning she realized she was wrong and no one likes being wrong and that is why this happens." I pointed at the glass which was almost clean.

"So everyone has an exception?" He started gathering up all the used paper towels as I did a final wipe down of the glass.

"Maybe, some people might not, this might be the way you live your whole life." I stood back and admired the clean door.

"That's fine with me." He had gathered everything and walked into his kitchen.

"Really?" I asked following him. "You're okay with that? Isn't that kind of an unfulfilling life?"

"Honestly, I'm just trying to get out of it alive." He threw everything in the garbage.

I felt my brow furrow at his strange comment. "No one gets out of life alive." I looked at him seriously.

He walked up to me so he was so close I had to crane my neck to look in his eyes and he placed his hands on my shoulders. "Easy there, Hud." He grinned and walked back into his living room.

I couldn't help but smile at him understanding my movie reference. Eric Northman was an interesting man to say the least.

He had started _Clueless_ again by the time I came back into the living room and sat down.

"So what about Compton? Is he an exception to your rule?" Eric leaned back in the corner of the sectional with his arms behind his head.

"I think Bill is a summer romance with possible potential, I also think it's none of your business." I said not looking at him, focusing on Cher playing suck and blow.

"You just seem to get along so well and connected so fast, it seems like he could be 'the one'." He rolled his eyes when he said it.

"Well, we saw each other almost every day when we were kids so we knew each other pretty well before and when we reconnected it seemed right, like we had been dating for years or something." I paused. "Why do you two hate each other so much anyway?"

"Bill hasn't told you?" He didn't take his eyes off the screen.

"You are kind of a sore subject between us so I never ask."

"You left at a wonderful time because when Bill turned fifteen he became, what's the right word," he tapped his bottom lip as he pondered deeply. "A dick, that's the right word. He decided that he was better than everyone else, starting teasing people, especially LaFayette, making sure everyone knew how wealthy he was and how he could have all these things and no one else could. He's mellowed out since he's left Bon Temp but I'm not type to forgive and forget." Any humour that he had earlier was gone.

"What did he tease LaFayette about?" I asked.

"LaFayette isn't subtle about his sexuality and Bill loved to call him names, put him down, tell him to kill himself, stuff like that. There was one particular time Bill and a couple of his friends took LaFayette behind the school and kicked the shit out of him and put him in the hospital for three weeks." Eric spat out this story through gritted teeth.

"Jesus," I said looking away from Eric rubbing the back of my neck, "he and LaFayette seemed totally fine. Why doesn't LaFayette hate him?" I couldn't believe Bill could have been capable of something like that. I felt winded.

"LaFayette is the forgiving type." Eric said rolling his eyes.

The silence was heavy between us. "So why does Bill hate you?"

Eric breathed in deeply and smiled. "LaFayette is my best friend. He's always been there for me so I had to find a way to not only be there for him but get back at Bill too. Bill had everything so I took the one thing he couldn't buy." His satisfaction was radiating through his whole body.

I nodded slowly. "So he doesn't want me around you because he's afraid that you'll steal me away from him?"

"Exactly."

"Well it's good I don't seem to have a choice or anything." I mumbled sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

"That's why I hate your boyfriend, that on top of him being an elitist snob, he's just not someone I think is worthy of my time." He shifted around on the couch. "Of anyone's time really."

I looked at the screen not wanting to talk about this anymore. I liked Bill a lot. He had been nothing but kind, sweet and gentlemanly to me. I was having a good time with him but I knew I was going to have to talk to him about LaFayette. If that was his true character then he wasn't a man I wanted to be with.

Eric and I didn't say much to each other after that. We finished the movie in a comfortable silence. We were the type of people that liked the company of others but didn't feel the need to constantly speak.

I stood once the movie was over and headed towards the door. "Thanks for having me over. This was fun actually."

"I think that was a compliment." He stood and walked towards me, standing too close. "And you're welcome.

I looked up at him. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah." He said looking down at me.

We stared at each other for a moment trying to think of something to say, only to say, "bye." I quickly walked out to the door and back to the house.

I showered, pulled my hair back into a simple ponytail, did simple neutral makeup, put on my uniform and went to work.

It wasn't a busy night and Tara and I spent most of the time talking about our love lives and how I was liking Bon Temps.

Sam left at ten, Terry Bellfleur, the other kitchen cook, had the kitchen spotless by eleven and almost all my duties were done not long after that.

Jason came in with a fair haired red-head at a quarter to twelve. I stomped over to his table and sat down. "Jason can't you just go get drunk at home?"

"I'm on a date Sook." He said to me sternly.

"You took her on a date at midnight?" I looked over at her with an annoyed look on my face. "You are so lucky to be dating my brother." My voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Sookie, do you not recognize me?" She asked.

I started at her trying to think of everyone I knew here in Bon Temps before I left. She would have been around my age, fair skin, large blue eyes surrounded by a curtain of thick black lashes. Bill's sister.

"Jessica?" I questioned.

She nodded with a large smile on her face.

"I didn't know you were in Bon Temps." What I meant was I hoped she wouldn't be in Bon Temps this summer.

"I was studying abroad in Italy and after I was done I took some time to sightsee. I just got into town this evening." She smiled.

"Jesus Jason, did you give her time to step off the plane?" I looked at him with a sarcastic tone in my voice.

"We need to get together and catch up. I'm sure Bill will invite you over for dinner soon, we can sneak away and have some girl talk." She squeal with delight.

I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do less. "Yeah that sounds great!" I faked enthusiasm with the largest smile I could muster.

She breathed in deep and sighed. "Oh it's so good to see you and you look amazing. It's so nice that you lost all that baby weight. You were so chubby before." She smiled. "I'll have a diet coke." She drawled.

I stared at her not impressed. I never really cared for Jessica when I knew her when we were children and it seemed that she had become more passive aggressive and fake, covering it in a sweet bubble gum coating.

"Comin' right up!" I said with a perky tone and got up to go to to the bar.

"What about me?" Jason asked distressed.

"You will get what I give you Jason Stackhouse and you'll like it." I snapped at him.

I walked up to the bar and told Tara the order.

"Is that Jessica Compton?" she asked pouring a beer and a diet coke.

"Yeah." I said with no enthusiasm.

"Is she still a two-faced bitch?" She cocked an eyebrow as she put the drinks on the counter.

"It would appear that way." I eyed her and Jason not wanting to go over there.

"This is the first year she's come back to Bon Temps in six or seven years. Maybe she heard that Jason was here." Tara said looking at them the way I was.

"I do not want to call her sister in law."

"Well, if you marry Bill…" she wore an entertained smirk on her face as I grabbed the drinks, rolled my eyes and walked them over to the table.

Jason and Jessica left after their one drink and Tara and I closed up the bar.

When I got home Bill's car was already in the driveway. Once in the house, I found him in the kitchen, like usual, making me something to eat. I came up to him and kissed him. "Hey."

"I hope you're hungry." He said cheerfully.

"I am." I said jumping up on the island and sitting on the edge. "What are we having tonight?"

"Grilled cheese." He sounded very pleased with himself. He plated the sandwich and slid it my way.

I started picking at it. Bill was leaning against the island looking at me. "What are you thinking about?"

"What were you like in high school?" I asked taking a bite. I needed to talk to him about this, I wasn't one to just let things slide but I was always willing to hear someone out.

He sighed and rubbed his face. "Someone told you about LaFayette."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Was it Eric?" Bill asked darkly.

Yes.

"No, it was Tara."

He sighed again. "I was hoping that you wouldn't hear about this so soon." He shook his head. "I was a very foolish teenager. People liked me when I was mean to other people and I liked being popular. Who doesn't when they're a teenager? LaFayette was such an easy target and one day we got carried away." He took my hands in his. "Sookie, I'm not proud of what I did, I think about it everyday and I hate myself for doing it." He took a step towards me. "My family paid for all of LaFayette's hospital bills and I went in and apologized when he was in the hospital. I've grown a lot since then, being away from my family has helped, they aren't the most progressive people." He came up to me so he was standing between my legs and put his hands on my thighs. "Tara will never forgive me and apparently Eric won't either, LaFayette has though, he's an interesting man, a good man." He paused. "I just don't want this to change the way your were starting to look at me."

"It does change the way I look at you but everyone fucks up, some worse than others but it isn't fair to hold something against someone forever. You seem truly remorseful." I looked at him with understanding.

He sighed with relief. "I am Sookie, I truly am."

Eric didn't seem to know that Bill had apologized to LaFayette, so either Bill was lying or LaFayette had kept things from Eric. I decided to enter into a relationship with Bill and I had to trust that he was telling the truth. It skewed the way I looked at him but that boy that made a mistake was not the man he was now. People didn't deserve to be punished forever.

He was smiling sadly as I placed my hands on either side of his face. "You wanna go watch a movie?" Movies always made everything better.

He nodded as we snuggled up on the couch and watched _Up_ because it was the only thing on TV.

Bill fell asleep before I did as I stood up and wandered around my empty house. It was always either empty or packed full, no middle ground - it was the story of my life, no happy medium, too much or too little, nothing was ever just right.

I walked to the floor to ceiling windows in my kitchen and could see Eric's living room lights on but I couldn't see his silhouette. I took out my phone and wrote 'hey' to him a hundred different ways before I shoved it back into my pocket without sending a message.

I woke Bill up and dragged him up the stairs to my room where he fell asleep as quickly as before. I changed into an oversized t-shirt and stepped out onto my balcony, looking over at Eric's house one last time. All his lights were off and I smiled, he had gone to sleep.

I climbed into bed and closed my eyes surprised to feel the weight of sleep, ready and willing to pull me under without a fight.

**ERIC**

I could see her standing in her kitchen looking in my direction. I knew she couldn't see me. She would be looking at my living room where the lights were all on, not in my bedroom where I was standing.

She stood there for some time, I couldn't make out what she was doing but she stormed off in a huff. I walked downstairs, turned off all the lights and went back upstairs. I sat on my bed in the dark and waited for her to emerge and twenty minutes later she did, only for a moment on her balcony and then disappeared back inside.

I turned off all my lights hoping that if she thought I went to sleep it would help her get to sleep. If she was anything like me and something in my gut told me she was, knowing that someone was awake was a distraction and would keep one awake.

Her room went dark and I smiled hoping that she would get a full nights rest.

I lied down on my bed and closed my eyes but felt no weight on my eyes. I stared at my ceiling as I thought about her eyes shut, her even breath and what filled her dreams until the first light of dawn illuminated the room.

Then I went for a run.

* * *

**What do you all think? Do you think Bill is really a changed man from his bullying high school days?**

**The next few chapters will be Bill and Sookie focus but Eric will be there. This is a love triangle story but if you look at my picture you know who my pairing is. Please bare with me while we get into the story. **

**I****'****m so sick of the show. Episode 6 made me so mad I wanted to flip a fucking table. **

**The movie that Sookie is referencing when she says no one gets out of life alive is Hud. It****'****s from 1963 and had Paul Newman in it. It****'****s awesome.**

**Reviews are lovely and they also help out the story. If you love it please review.**


	5. Dinner at Eight

**A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed, ap630, ashmo2000, BlueMonday2387, ciasteczko, MelodyAnderson, Perfecta999, Seraphine1210, ericplenty, maria1981 and suzyq59. I****'****m one of those crazy people who will thank everyone who reviews and I will respond to your reviews if you have questions, so feel free to ask. **

**I edited this chapter again so I apologize for the mistakes.**

**I also want to point out that I know we read fan fiction for smut but this is not a full blown smut story. There will be some of that but this is a love story first and foremost. So if you****'****re looking for lots of fucking I suggest you look elsewhere. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**ERIC**

I managed to get three hours of sleep after my run. I got up, showered, ate and at 1:30 drove my car over to the only law office in Bon Temps to pick up Pam. She wanted to go shopping in Shreveport and she was taking an extra long lunch today to do so.

She strutted out of the office at two p.m. sharp. Her long honey coloured hair flowing behind her, dark aviators covering her eyes, six inch black vinyl stilettos clicking against the cement, a white dress shirt under a black tight fitting blazer and pencil skirt. Pam looked incredible and she knew it.

She stepped into my car and buckled her seat belt. A smile crept across her face as she rubbed the leather interior. "I fucking love how I look in this car."

I angled my body towards her. "You can't even see yourself." I smiled while rolling my eyes. I liked Pam a lot. She was one of the only people who wouldn't take my shit and that was probably the reason she was the only person I had ever dated. Two whole months in high school. It ended because I wasn't a very good boyfriend and she was, well, gay.

"I have an excellent imagination." She cooed, her thick accent slow and steady, letting every word land.

"What about me? How do I look?" I threw my head back and shook out my imaginary hair.

Her smile changed to a smirk. "You're alright." She drawled.

I laughed and shook my head, adjusting myself properly in my seat, starting the car. "Such a bitch." We both laughed as I peeled out onto the street and headed for the highway.

Once we finally arrived Pam preceded to try on about a hundred dresses. "Why didn't you ask a girlfriend to do this?" I shouted as I sat on a velvet couch looking at my Facebook.

"I don't have any girlfriends." She said sternly.

"What about Sookie?" I said absentmindedly.

She let out a noise of frustration and came out of the dressing room in a tight red dress. She looked great.

"Not you too." She stood in front of the mirror smoothing out the dress.

"Not me too, what?" I said putting my phone back in my pocket.

"Everyone has fucking Sookie fever. Tara won't shut up about her, Bill clearly drank the Kool-Aid and LaFayette is planning all this shit to do with her, oh that reminds me," she turned to face me. "We're going to Glitter in early August." Glitter was the only gay club in Renard Parish and we all went at least once a year. She turned back to the mirror. "Although she does seem like a fire cracker, your type, really your type. I can see why you are defending her. How long have you been trying to fuck her?" She shook her head and went back into the dressing room.

"Since the moment I saw her and then even more when I found out Bill wanted her but we are just friends. I don't mind it. She's funny, smart and I think a little more aware of the world around her than other rich girls." It wasn't a lie. I didn't mind being friends with her. Truthfully, I enjoyed her company but I wouldn't mind if I got to know her in the Biblical sense either and pissing off Bill would be a cherry on top. "Do you know she hates country music?" I laughed.

Pam came out with pursed lips and a cocked eyebrow. "I heard." She rolled her eyes and went to look at herself in a white dress and with ruffles around the shoulders. "She has an unbelievably stupid name."

"That's not her fault." I said defending Sookie as I felt my brows furrow. "What are you buying a dress for anyway?" I questioned trying to change the subject, I didn't want to talk about Sookie anymore.

She huffed. "It's Tara's and mine one year anniversary and I want to knock her flat." She smirked again and returned to the dressing room.

"Pam you have huge tits and a killer ass. Everything looks good on you." I ran my hand through my hair and winked at the blonde cashier who was staring at me.

"I don't want to make her horny, I want to take her breath away. I want to see how much she loves me on her face." She came out of the dressing room wearing a soft pink dress. It showed cleavage but not too much, it was tight at the waist and flowed over her hips and stopped just after the knee. It softened her, made her look approachable, lovely, beautiful. "Well?" She asked me with a hint of insecurity in her voice. "It's not really me."

"That's the dress. You look beautiful." I said truthfully. It was enough to convince her. She turned around with a huge smile on her voice and ran over to sit with me on the couch.

"Thank you for doing this with me Eric." She smiled warmly.

"Not a problem." I said softly.

She stared at me with a kind look on her face before reaching out and touching the bags under my eyes. "Your not sleeping again."

"I wasn't sleeping ever."

"You need to see a doctor."

"I don't want to see at doctor." I said angling my body away from her.

"Eric this isn't healthy." She was concerned but there was an edge of anger in her voice.

I huffed in frustration and looked over at her. "There's nothing wrong with me, I trained myself to stay awake because when my mom got sick she was only ever awake at night. I learned to speed nap. Be awake for days straight. I'm not having vicious nightmares about them. I'm not haunted. When I do dream of them it's always happy." I paused and rubbed my face. "The matter of fact is when I close my eyes my brain doesn't shut down and I don't want to medicate myself to no end to be able to sleep. I rather be tired and aware than well rested and a zombie." I looked away from her agitated.

"You just need a centre Eric. You have no path or purpose. You're lost." She was sweet, she was rarely sweet. It was making me uncomfortable.

"What? What do I need Pam? A girlfriend? Someone to love me forever and ever." I cocked an eyebrow and let my expression tell her how foolish I thought that was. "It's not worth it. I am not good at relationships, they are messy and end with broken hearts and tears. I do not specialize in that." I looked anywhere but in her eyes and shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"You don't know until you try. I was so angry and then Tara waltzed into my life and we mellowed each other out. I'm so much happier, so much more secure. I feel like my life has finally started." She was looking away from me with fondness in her eyes, thinking about Tara no doubt.

"That's wonderful for you Pam. I'm happy you have that but because it worked for you doesn't mean it's for me."

"But you admit something is missing though?" She pointed at me like she had caught me with my hand in the cookie jar.

"I'm fine." I lied.

She shook her head. "I don't believe you." She got up and walked into the dressing room.

We drove back in silence. She was right. Something in my life was missing but I refused to believe it needed to be filled by a woman. I didn't deal well with loss and I refused to lose anything ever again. A relationship was just setting me up for rejection and heart ache. I didn't want to rely on everyone ever.

Maybe I would just get a dog.

**SOOKIE**

A week had past since I saw Jessica at Merlotte's and according to Bill she had been doing nothing but talking his ear off about inviting me over for dinner.

So here I was, in my Sunday best trying to look as harmless as possible, about to meet Bill's family as an adult. My dress was just under knee length, thick straps and was white with blue flowers. I put on three inch white pumps, curled my hair and pushed it in place with a thin white headband. My makeup was kept nude, simple.

I walked across my property, crossed over onto his and knocked on the door timidly. I did not want to do this. Families did not like me. I said things I shouldn't, I had no brain mouth filter. I was not the southern belle I looked like and I did not have the grace my families money should have afforded me. In other words, I was a disappointment big time.

Jessica answered the door wearing a low cut, deep plum coloured dress that hugged every curve and five inch high heels to match. "Sookie!" She exclaimed as she looked me up and down. I could see the judgement on her face, it wrinkled her forehead. "You chose to wear your hair like that..." She trailed off as her nose wrinkled as if she smelled something rotten. It wasn't a question and she frowned. "It doesn't matter, at least the dress almost suits your body type." She smiled sweetly and laughed. I gave a fake laugh to match hers as I eyed her with hatred.

I quickly broke away from her and rushed over to Bill when he came around the corner. "Tell me why I agreed to do this?" I whispered in a panic.

"Because you know it would make my family happy and you're very, very brave." He joked as he smiled warmly and kissed me lightly on the lips. He looked handsome in his suit and he kept it casual by not wearing a tie.

"My stars! Sookie Stackhouse look at you!" Jessica's older clone came around the corner wearing a soft pink dress suit and kitten heels to match. Bills mother, Susan, was beautiful like Jessica and seemed just as phoney. I had never realized it when I was a child. I suppose I wasn't really looking for it but after years and years of being bombarded with women just like her I couldn't help but be turned off.

"Mrs. Compton, you look amazing! How are you?" I let my accent come out more, hit harder in an attempt to cover up how uncomfortable I was.

"I'm very well." She smiled and shook her head as she placed her hands on either side of my face. "I honestly can't believe it. You were such a chunky monkey before and now look at you." She continued to smile and she sighed. "We can work on the hair though. Come along now children." She turned and walked into the parlour.

I smiled tight lipped as Jessica skipped past me and Bill gripped my hand and looked at me sympathetically.

The parlour was grand just like the rest of the house but it was decorated with an antique taste rather than sleek lines and stainless steel. The walls were covered in portraits and landscapes all in oil paints, the sofas that were once white were yellowing with age, all the furniture was wood or was clearly made in the late 1920's. The house smelled old.

My eyes found the bar first and then I sat down on the nearest sofa. "Would you like a drink Sookie?" Bill asked me as he went behind the bar.

"Now Bill, a lady like Sookie wouldn't like a drink before dinner." Susan said to her son.

I looked from Susan to Bill. "I'll have a vodka tonic please."

Bill grinned at me as he mixed me a drink, pouring more vodka than tonic and handing me the drink. I winked at him as I took the first sip and he sat down, putting his arm around me. "Where's father?" He asked Susan, her nose clearly out of joint over my drink.

"He is upstairs getting Nana settled in." She said uncrossing and re-crossing her legs. She wouldn't look at us and her lips were pursed. All it took was saying yes to a drink and I was on the shit list.

"Nana is here?" Bill said as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes." She smiled the same sweet fake smile that Jessica had perfected.

"Oh Christ." Bill mumbled looking at me with more sympathy than he had all night.

"She's the best Sookie, you'll love her." Jessica beamed. I was almost positive I wouldn't.

At that moment Bill's father, Lionel, and his grandmother walked into the parlour. She was a severe looking woman with blonde hair, leathery tan skin, more wrinkles than I could count and caked on makeup put on with a shaky hand. She was like a train wreck, she was a mess but I couldn't look away. I know I had met her once when I was a child but I couldn't remember her at all. I probably shut her out so she wouldn't haunt my dreams.

She made eyes with me right away. "Who are you?" Her thick Southern accent spat.

I stood, placing my drink on a coaster and went to shake her hand. "Hello ma'am, I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

She didn't shake my hand just looked me up and down, judging me. "You used to be fat."

I shook my head slowly. "Yep."

"Well it's good you aren't anymore, no fat girls for my William." She pushed past me and went to kiss Bill.

"Hello Sookie, I'm glad you could come tonight." Mr. Compton looked at me warmly, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Please excuse my mother, she comes from a different time." He had tan skin with a few wrinkles around the eyes, silver thin rimmed glasses, short and precisely cut salt and pepper hair, sparkling blue eyes and a decent figure for someone who was almost sixty. He looked almost exactly like Bill. It was comforting to know that this is what Bill would look like if we grew old together.

I had to make it through tonight first though.

"Sookie," Susan addressed me, "you aren't one of those hippie leaf eaters are you?" She looked disgusted even saying the words.

"I'm sorry?" I questioned, I had no idea what she was talking about and judging by her drooping left eye whatever she had taken earlier was finally kicking in. She probably didn't know what she was talking about either. I guess she just frowned upon drinking. It visualized the decent into the numbness that was needed to survive in this world. A pill was discreet.

"No mother, Sookie is not a vegetarian." Bill stepped in and answered for me.

I looked from Bill to Susan. "Oh yeah, I'm a meat eater. I love meat." I felt my face scrunch up in embarrassment.

"Good, cause we are having beef." She spun away from us quickly and walked into the dining room. Apparently her Southern hospitality exited the moment Nana Compton entered or the pill kicked in. There was no way of knowing.

The table was set grandly. Too many utensils, good china, quick burning candlesticks in platinum candlestick holders, crystal wine glasses filled with what I hoped was an expensive wine. The two servants they had employed were bringing the meals in and setting them at each place, I found mine next to Bill.

I took a large sip of the wine praying for a buzz, praying for anything to take the heat away from the living hell I had walked into. Nana Compton made us hold hands as she said a prayer and we all began to eat. I hoped that the Compton's were silent eaters but I would have no such luck.

"Sookie, what have you been up to since you left Bon Temps?" Lionel asked.

"Well I finished high school and went to UCLA to become a teacher. I travelled a little and looked into all my options when it comes to teaching. I'm hoping to get a placement teaching children in Africa for a year. Children that really need it." I smiled at him as I took a bite of the roast beef that I had to admit tasted amazing.

"Africa is a disease ridden hellhole, William you can let her go there." Nana Compton didn't look up from her food as she noisily cut her meat.

I stared at her for a few moments with wide eyes. "Okay." I said looking back over at Lionel. "Anyway, I would like to do that and then who knows." I took another bite of my meal.

"And how about marriage Sookie, do you plan on doing that soon? You aren't getting any younger." Susan slurred, eating her meal in microscopic portions.

"Um, no. I have no plans. I really have no interest in marriage." I took a sip of my wine as Bill's mother choked on her food. I heard Jessica giggle apparently enjoying the show to go along with her dinner.

"No interest in marriage? William why even bring this girl home? You are at an age where you must find a wife and make me great-grandchildren." Nana Compton then looked at me. "And you young lady should know your place. To be a wife and mother."

Bill slammed his utensils on the table. "Nana!" He shouted at her. "You are being incredibly rude to our guest. Where are the manners you constantly pester all of us about? I expect you to start showing these manners to Sookie." Bill said sternly.

"And with all due respect ma'am, I'll decide where my place is." I looked away from her and ate more of my food as Jessica's giggled turned into a full blown laughs.

Other than Jessica's laughter the room was completely silent and it stayed that way for a couple of minutes until Lionel asked me another question. "Do you have a job now?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Yes, I am a waitress at Merlotte's." I took a sip of my wine.

"Is that the bar with the two Negro homosexuals?" Nana Compton asked with phoney kindness.

The inappropriate phrasing of her question caught me so off guard I began choking on my wine, angling my body away from the table as I coughed, trying to catch my breath. Bill's hand began rubbing my back as I stood. "Would you please excuse me?" I said through my coughs as Jessica guffawed and I left the room.

Jesus Christ, this was a fucking nightmare. I still had to finish dinner, then dessert and then possibly drinks with these people. I liked Bill but I didn't know if I could deal with all of this? I could not spend Christmas' and any other holidays every year for the rest of my life with them. The only comforting thought was the worst of the bunch, Nana Compton was sure to die soon. She had to be at least eighty-five.

I looked at myself and assessed my appearance. I thought I looked good and I didn't want to be beaten by these bitches. I could make it through.

I opened the door to see Bill standing there with a distressed and angry look on his face. "We're leaving." He said solemnly as he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door but I pulled away and stuck my head into the dining room.

"Thank you for dinner. It was nice to see you again Mr. Compton." I smiled at him and he smiled weakly back as I turned and went back to Bill lacing my fingers with his.

He started speaking when his front door closed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize my Nana would be here. She is a piece of work." He shook his head running his hand through his hair as we walked through his property onto mine. "All the Compton women are vipers. I should have known Jessica just wanted you to come over to torture you."

"Yeah, why is she like that? Why does she hate me so much?" I asked tracing circles on the inside of Bill's palm.

"Being wealthy and bored is not a good mix. She is also under tremendous pressure from our mother. Her clock is ticking and all." He looked at me with a half smile. "She tries to alleviate stress whenever she can, regardless of whose feelings might get hurt."

I sighed. "I don't know if I can do that ever again." I turned to face him as we stopped in front of my front door.

Bill grabbed my hands. "You have to believe that they will not be a problem for us." He looked into my eyes.

"Bill they are your family. It's a big deal. If that's what your family is like all the time, I don't know if this can last beyond the summer." I moved away from him and sat down one of the deck chairs.

"Not all the time, Jessica maybe but my mother will warm up and they both live in Dallas, you're in Nashville, I'm in New York and as for my nana…" He sat on the chair beside me as he made a face that implied what we both were thinking. She would be dead soon. There was a moment of silence between us. "You think about us past the end of the summer?" He asked me with a smile on his face.

"Of course I do, Bill." I stood. "But after that meeting with your family I really don't know anymore. Right now I need some time to be Compton free. Some time to think." I bent down and kissed him. "I'll call you."

He didn't try to stop me as I walked into my home and closed the door.

Jason wasn't home. Jason was about as subtle as a gun and it was impossible not to hear him if he was in the house so I knew I was alone.

I went up to my room and changed into something more comfortable.

I went down stairs poured myself a glass of wine, went into the library and grabbed _50 Shades of Grey_, deciding to up my romance novel game to full blown erotica, from what I had heard, shitty, badly written erotica but erotica none the less.

It was a difficult day. I knew I could handle Bill's family with practice. You could handle anyone with time but that wasn't really the problem, the problem was if I wanted to be with Bill long term.

I liked him a lot and could see an easy future with him but I didn't know how easy it would be to get there. It would be difficult to fall in love with his family looming over him, if his past mistakes and character flaws were truly in the past and if he could lighten up and be himself completely with me.

I try to put it out of my mind as I read through the book quickly until my eyes became heavy and I passed out.

* * *

**So what did we all think about the Comptons? And we got to know Eric a little better in this chapter, just a taste. **

**I don****'****t know if anyone noticed but I****'****m following the True Blood theme and naming all my chapters after songs. **

**Reviews are very much appreciated and really make my day. It****'****s nice to know I****'****m writing for someone other than myself. **

**Thanks for reading everyone!**


	6. With Me Tonight

**A/N: I wanted to post this last night but I drank a bottle and a half of wine instead and now I****'****m hungover. Yay! **

**Anyway this is just a little chapter that I wasn****'****t originally going to write but just imply it but I****'****m now glad that I did. It****'****s not the greatest chapter but I think it****'****s important. **

**Thank you all for supporting this little story of mine. BlueMonday2387, ciasteczko, ericplenty, Perfecta999, maria1981 and ashmo2000 for your lovely reviews from last chapter.**

**I edited this again, the grammar and spelling aren't going to be stellar but thank you for baring with me.**

**I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

I woke up the next morning with a kink in my neck from falling asleep on a couch in the library. It was a simple room, two black couches, one wall of windows while the rest were covered in shelves and filled with books.

I stretched, trying to ease the pain in my neck and jumped up when I saw the time. It was my turn to work my only day shift this week and I was late. I hopped in the shower and got dressed quickly, forgoing makeup.

I flew into Merlotte's as Sam berated me. "You're late Stackhouse!" He shouted as I went into his office and put my purse in his desk. No one at Merlotte's called me Sookie anymore, thanks to Eric I was simply Stackhouse now.

I came running out tying my apron around my waist. "I'm sorry Sam, I had trouble falling asleep last night and I over slept." I looked around the restaurant and saw that the usual day waitress Holly was already here and I was thankful. The place was packed and I would need the help.

"Don't let it happen again. You're lucky Holly was available." He looked over in Holly's direction as she spoke cheerfully to customers. "There are a lot of tables that haven't been served yet Stackhouse, get out there." He made a motion for me to leave and I nodded.

I took half the tables off of Holly's hands and we got through the two hour lunch rush. I was busy filling up ketchup bottles when Holly approached me. "You think you can handle everything now?" She leaned against the counter with a warm smile on her face.

Holly was older, she had two sons that were closer to grown than not but she had a youthful spirit about her. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, a slim figure and skin that was pretty much wrinkle free. I liked Holly, most of my shifts overlapped with hers for about an hour so I had gotten to know her. She was blunt, caring and funny. The kind of mother I always wished I had.

"Yes, thank you so much Holly for covering for me. I owe you big time." I screwed a cap on the final filled bottle of Heinz.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a small creme coloured card. "Well, come to my wedding and buy me a really expensive gift." She winked as she handed me an invitation.

Everyone knew that Holly was marrying Bon Temps' police chief Andy Bellefleur and I let out a laugh of disbelief when she handed it to me. "Thank you Holly."

"I like you Stackhouse, even if you are a shitty waitress." She grinned. "Remember something really expensive. Or just money."

I laughed. "Money it is."

"I'll see you when I see you." She turned and went to go out the back door where her car was probably parked.

I finished my shift and left when Arlene came to relieve me.

When I got home I went straight up to my room to change. I slipped into some grey sweatpants and a tight dark green tank top before throwing my hair into a ponytail. I headed down the back staircase with the intention of making something to eat.

I was annoyed to see that Jason had been home and left a mess all over the kitchen. He had left lunch meats, lettuce, cheese, mayo and other fixings for sandwiches on the island. Half a dozen beer bottles were left in various places and any dishes that were used were left in the sink.

I sighed and went to work cleaning the kitchen and tidying anywhere else Jason may have been.

The afternoon turned into evening as I contemplated calling Bill and when I wasn't contemplating calling him I was wondering if he was going to call me. I wasn't sure what I wanted from him long term but I wasn't ready to give up on a summer romance. He hadn't done anything to wrong me, it was just the circumstances around him I was unsure of. I would give him a shot and let him prove himself to me, let him prove that his family wasn't going to be a problem, prove to me that he was the good man I thought he was.

After finally finishing season two of _Hannibal _my phone started ringing. I picked it hopefully only to see Eric's name. A different kind of joy spread through me.

"Northman." I said with a smile. "To what do I owe this exquisite honour?"

"I'm inviting myself over. Movie night part two except this time it will actually be at night and not in the middle of the day like last time." His voice was smooth, confident, it had less of the Southern and more of whatever accent he had before he got here.

I laughed, adjusting myself on the couch so that I was lying flat. "And what is tonight's picture? There is no way I am watching _Sorority S__luts 7_."

He snickered. "No, no I went out and picked up a copy of _H__e __J__ust __N__ot __That I__nto __Y__ou_. I want you to explain this whole exceptions and rules thing to me a little more. You'll be able to bask in the pleasure of my company and the movie has Scarlett Johansson in it for me, Bradley Cooper for you, it's a win win win."

"I'm more of a Ben Affleck kind of gal." I said stretching, curling my toes.

"Whatever floats your boat."

"I'm also a Scarlett kind of gal too."

He let out a low moan. "Seriously Stackhouse, we have the same taste in women? You're killing me."

I chuckled. "Be here in ten. Bring food."

I put my phone on the counter and went to get the TV ready for the movie. The entertainment system my father picked out was way more work than it was worth and took some time to set up properly.

There was a knock on the door a few minutes later and I skipped to the foyer. "Eric you better have brought Twizzlers and something choco-" I opened the door to see a dressed down Bill on the other side. "Bill?" I sputtered out, my eyes going wide.

He was wearing grey sweat pants and a plain dark blue sweat shirt with the sleeves cut off. His hair was tousled. "Were you expecting someone else?" He said quietly.

I stared at him in his undone state. Other than the first time we met Bill had always been put together, suit, polished shoes, combed hair, never like this. "Uh, um, no." I shook my head and stood awkwardly in between the door and the door frame.

He took a cautious step towards me. "Sookie, I understand if you're still mad or need time to think about that fiasco at my house last night but do you think you can spare twenty minutes and go for a walk with me?" He smiled at me.

I smiled. He seemed so endearing, so normal, so real for the first time in the six weeks we had been dating. I knew I was silly to be taking this relationship so seriously but I liked Bill and it had been so long since I had fallen in love. The truth was I wanted to fall and the smile he was giving me at that particular moment made me want to tumble.

"I can go for a walk." I found a pair of flip flops and followed him out, closing the door behind me.

He held out his hand and I took it as he led me into the woods. "Uh, Bill where are we going?"

"You'll see." He smiled as he looked back at me.

I swallowed hard. "That's not really a comforting answer Bill, this feels like the beginning of an episode of _The First 48_."

"I'm not going to murder you if that's what you're implying." He said with humour in his voice. I could see flickering lights up ahead.

"Well you can't drag a girl into the woods and expect her to think you aren't… going… to… kill… her…" My last words trailed off as we reached a clearing. There were torches lit in a circle and in the middle was a blanket with what looked like a picnic basket on top.

I stepped away from him and walked a few steps into the clearing. A shocked laugh escaped my lips as I looked back at him. "You did this," I pointed at myself, "for me?"

He walked up and stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he placed soft kisses on my neck. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything that happened yesterday and that I'm hoping that you'll give me another chance. I'm hoping that you'll give me some time to let me show you that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work."

We sat down on the blanket and he poured me a glass of champagne. I had to admit that it was really difficult to be unsure of him at that moment after he had put this together for me. After he seemed so genuine and earnest, he wanted to make this work.

I could give him to the end of the summer, ask around, watch him, spend some more time with his family to see if I could in fact deal with them.

I looked at him as I sipped on my champagne, raising my hand to push the hair out of his face. "Let's see where we're at when the end of the summer and we'll go from there." I leaned in and kissed him. "Does that work for you?"

"That works just fine." He smiled back as he leaned in to kiss me again. This time it wasn't a chaste kiss, he was passionate, his tongue ran along my bottom lip.

I broke away from him and grabbed the hem of his shirt lifting it over his head. I had forgotten how tone his body was, tan and lean and warm under my touch.

We were going to have sex. I was sure of it. Finally after waiting for so long it was finally going to happen. I was nervous, it was always nerve-racking being with someone for the first time. There was so much you couldn't predict about a person. You hoped that what you imagined in your mind would be the outcome.

I ran my hands over his body as he took off the tank top I was wearing and discarded it in the same direction I had tossed his. He laid me down on the blanket and broke our kiss.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long." He looked longingly into my eyes while brushing a strand of hair away from my face. "I'm a man that likes a sure thing, I make safe bets and I rarely take chances. I wanted to be sure of you."

"Are you sure now?" I asked running my hands over his shoulders and up into his hair.

"I've never been more sure of anything." He whispered as he lowered himself to touch his lips to mine, letting the hand that wasn't supporting him graze my side, running over my ribs and up to palm my breast.

He began kissing down my neck, carefully placing kisses along my collarbone, pulling down the strap of my bra. I arched my back and undid the clasp and pulled it off so that he would have full access. I felt like we had a barrier for so long between us and I wanted all those barriers down.

Bill's mouth closed over my erect nipple as I gasped at the contact, it felt so good to be touched again, I hadn't been intimate with anyone in so long, not since Alcide. He gripped the sides of my sweat pants and pulled them down and my panties with them.

He stood as I stretched out letting him look at my body. He grinned and took off his shoes and pulled off his pants leaving him naked. His hardened length was average but something I could definitely work with.

He lowered himself positioning himself over me as he looked into my eyes. "I'm so happy you came back to Bon Temps."

I smiled as heat flooded my face, reddening my cheeks. "So am I."

He leaning down and kissed me softly before positioning himself at my opening and pushed slowly into me.

**ERIC**

I knocked on her door four times before I let myself in. I stepped into her foyer and was met with a deafening silence I had never heard in her home before. I hadn't been there many times but usually there was always something, music, TV or other people. It was never silent.

"Stackhouse!" I shouted hearing my voice echo.

I moved into her living room and sat on her couch realizing there was no TV in there, only a piano, a guitar and places to sit. I sighed letting my head rest on the back of the couch. "Come on Stackhouse, I brought Twizzlers." I shouted. "You seem like a Twizzlers kind of girl." I mumbled looking down at the candy, shifting the package from hand to hand.

I got up and took out my phone, dialling her number. I wasn't surprised when I heard her phone ring. I stood and I rolled my eyes at her ring tone for me, 'Too Cool For School' by Fountains of Wayne. "Seriously Stackhouse?" I muttered to myself as I found it on the island in the kitchen and shook my head.

She wasn't in the house but I knew exactly where she was. "God damn it Compton." I said to no one through gritted teeth, shaking my head.

I threw the Twizzlers on the counter and left her house.

I charged towards my house with anger flowing through me and half way in between our properties I heard them, more importantly I heard her. Sound carried in our clearing and the sound of her moaning carried far. There was a small meadow in the forest that was hidden enough by trees that no one, at any of our three properties could see it. I took women there all the time and apparently Bill had now taken Sookie.

She ditched me to go fuck Bill Compton. I sighed in frustration before picking up the pace wanting to get inside quickly. I was not used to losing to him, to anyone really. I always managed to get any girl to sleep with me before they wanted to sleep with him. I had successfully cocked blocked Bill from getting with almost every girl in town.

But I couldn't convince Sookie.

I had become her friend, she was the first straight woman to actually become my friend. It was my fault she didn't look at me as a sexual option because she saw through all my efforts to charm her, I wasn't as calculated with her as I was with others, I was more myself and instead of making her my conquest, I had made her my friend.

I still wanted to sleep with her because that's just who I was but a strange feeling came over me that I hadn't felt in a long time. I had made a friend who wanted to hang out because she actually liked who I was, not because I was tall, not because I was good looking and not because I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

Sookie hung around with me purely because she wanted to.

I walked over to my bar and poured myself a drink, drinking it quickly. I stood for a moment trying to decide what to do with my evening now that I wasn't going to be spending it with Sookie.

I turned on my Netflix and started watching _Sherlock_ because it was one of the few things I still hadn't seen. I poured myself another drink and felt my loneliness descend. My leg started to bounce as the silence in my house began to feel like it was crushing me. I finished my second drink, turned off the TV, left the house and got into my car.

I turned onto the main road and ended up at Merlotte's. I walked in and felt the rush of everyones eyes falling on me for just a moment before I walked up to Tara at the bar. "Three shots of tequila."

"No." Tara said bluntly, turning around and opening a Budweiser, placing it in front of me.

"Why not?" I questioned through gritted teeth.

"Because I told her not to." Pam said sitting down beside me. "You drink too much."

"I'll decide if I drink too much." I brought the beer to my lips and drank almost half.

"What's up your ass, Northman?" Tara eyed me as she cleaned a glass.

"Clearly not Sookie." Pam smirked.

I shot her a stern look and the smirk left her face. I looked at Tara. "I want to pick someone up."

"Well you are talking to the wrong women for that." She shook her head as she put the glass away. "You have far to much dick for my liking."

Pam gave a low chuckle as I scanned the bar. I saw her in the corner of the room talking to Hoyt, the one I wanted. Tan skin, blonde hair, small features, small breasts, small everything.

She would do.

I walked over and introduced myself effectively rendering Hoyt non existent. I convinced her to come home with me within thirty minutes.

Her name was Kristen.

* * *

**What did everyone think? **

**I know there is a lot of Bill stuff. This is the last major Bill chapter for awhile and by major I mean sex major. I don****'****t want to lose you all. I know it****'****s hard to read cause Bill is, you know, awful. **

**I love writing Eric. I love writing him. **

**Reviews are appreciated and loved more than shirtless Eric. **

**Thank you for reading!**


	7. Lonely Boy

**A/N: So the last chapter made a lot of you very mad. You don****'****t like it when someone wrongs Eric. You****'****re also all very considerate as well, leaving notes and what not. **

**I hope this chapter makes up for the necessary evil that was last chapter. There is no Bill in this chapter! There is talk of Bill but he never shows up. I really like this chapter. **

**Thank you to everyone that is following and favouriting, I love it. Thank you to suzyq59, FeeKilico, KristyB26, Perfecta999, 34ken, ericplenty, maria1981, MelodyAnderson, ashmo2000, BlueMonday2387, outinritefield1 and the guest that reviewed the last chapter. **

**I haven****'****t thanks Asher55 in awhile. I know you****'****ve busy but I****'****m writing this for you and you keep me writing.**

**I edited this chapter myself so again please forgive all the errors. **

**I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

**ERIC**

I went and got a dog. Pam's words had been echoing in my head and before I knew it I was at an animal shelter picking the first dog I saw. He was a six year old German Shepard named Toby.

Now I was sitting on my couch as Toby sat beside me, panting like crazy even though my house was insanely air conditioned. I stared at him as he stared at me. "So where are you from originally?" I asked before his ears perked up and he looked towards my sliding glass door.

I heard the pounding of her feet on my patio before she stood in front of the door, eyes filled with excitement and a huge smile on her face. Her white linen button down was open, blowing in the early afternoon breeze, a purple bikini top underneath, jeans cut offs and her white Keds on her feet. She was holding a cookie tin in her hand.

Naturally I texted Sookie almost immediately after getting Toby. She seemed like a dog person.

Toby jumped off the couch and started barking, freaking out in front of the door. She opened the sliding glass door, placed the tin on the coffee table and fell to the floor, rolling around with him.

"Doggie," she drawled, rubbing behind his ears as he licked her face.

I got up and walked over to stand over them. "Toby."

"What?" she said between licks.

"His name is Toby."

"Toby." She cooed as she started planting kisses all over his face.

I let her play with him for a few moments before I took a deep breath in. "So thanks for ditching me the other night, by the way." I said with an annoyed edge to my voice. I wanted her to know that I wasn't happy that she just bailed. We hadn't spoken to each other in three days and it gave me time to decide that I wasn't going to just brush it off. I wanted to call her out on it.

She sat up and looked at me with a guilty look on her face. "I'm sorry about that. Bill showed up and I got carried away, everything happened so fast. I really only thought I would be gone for no more than twenty minutes." She stood and started brushing the dog hair off her, she was covered in it. "But I do feel really shitty and to say I'm sorry I made you these." She bent over and picked up the tin and handed it to me.

I looked at it. "What is it?" I said taking off the lid.

"This is the Russian Roulette Tin of Brownies." She smiled as she let Toby lick her hand.

I looked down at the tin packed full of brownies. "You baked for me?" A slow smile started to spread across my face.

"There are rules to these brownies, whichever one you pick first is the one you have to eat. You can't pick and choose and you can only eat one a day."

"Why?" I said picking one up about to bite into it.

She grabbed my hand stopping me from eating it. "It's called The Russian Roulette Tin of Brownies because half of them are regular brownies and the other half have been made with weed butter." She grinned wickedly. "Because you have to work later, I wouldn't eat one now."

A shocked laugh escaped my lips. "You made me pot brownies?"

"I sure did. I figured a simple sorry wouldn't suffice and buying you something seemed impersonal so I decided to bake drugs into brownies for you." She moved forward to give me a hug. "I really am sorry. My guilt kept me from calling, from texting." Her arms tightened around my waist. It was the first time she had really hugged me.

I hugged her back with my free arm and rolled my eyes. "You're forgiven but now that we're friends you need to follow the code, bros before hoes. I am the bro and Bill is the hoe. I always come first. Understand?" I placed my hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

She smirked. "Understood."

"Good. Now may I asked what Bill did that made you rush from your home so suddenly?" I walked into the kitchen to grab a beer and put the brownies in the fridge. I offered Sookie one but she shook her head and reached past me for a bottle of water.

"I had dinner with his family a few days ago and it didn't go very well so he was trying to make it up to me." She looked down at Toby. "Do you have a ball?" She questioned. "Go get your ball." Toby ran off in search of one of the many balls I had acquired for him. "Let's go for a walk." She sang to me.

She took off out the back door and into the forest, Toby tearing behind her. I ran after them and watched as she took the ball from him and threw it as far as she could. We slowed down once I caught up to her and continued our conversation. "And may I ask what a Compton dinner like?"

"Well, his mother was drugged up the whole time, his Nana told me that I should know my place, which is to be a wife and mother by the way and also referred to LaFayette and Tara as Negro homosexuals while Jessica giggled at my misfortune the entire time. That's what a Compton dinner is like." She rolled her eyes and shook her head before threw the ball for Toby again.

"Jesus." I shook my head as well before running my hand into my hair.

"Yep."

"Do you really want to deal with that? I mean, from what I'm told, family is huge when it comes to a relationship and you and Bill seem like you are on the fast track."

She shrugged. "If I've learned anything from my father, everyone can be controlled. I'll sort it out."

"So I'm guessing, to apologize, he did something along the lines of a picnic out in the meadow on the south side of the property and then you guys fucked." I grinned at her shocked and embarrassed face.

"How did you know that?" She asked slowly and quietly.

"You are a lot louder in the sack than I thought you'd be." I giggled just a little bit at her overwhelming embarrassment. Her face was crimson. "Sound carries in the clearing Stackhouse. Keep that in mind next time."

She covered her face in her hands and shook her head. "This is so embarrassing."

I laughed at her as I threw the ball. "But you really like him, huh?"

She smiled widely and nodded. "Yeah, he's sweet, he seems to like me, he tries to right his wrongs, he cooks for me and he's just charming. It's not his fault he has to deal with his shitty family, I'm lucky mines never here, my family is a fucking nightmare at times. I mean he has his flaws but so do I. I just feel like we could fit, build a life, you know?" She looked at me for reassurance.

It was reassurance I couldn't give her. I felt like she was trying to force it. Money and the South made everything move fast. No one waited for anything around here, if you liked someone then that was one step away from loving them and you then should marry them. She was twenty-four and in the South that was old if you were a woman. If people hadn't started questioning why she wasn't married yet, the avalanche would start soon. Regardless of how she felt about the subject the pressure would be immense.

She was standing to close to see the big picture, to see that her and Bill were not right for each other. That this act, and I was certain it was an act, that Bill was playing would fade the moment Sookie said I do. For men like Bill, when it came to women like Sookie, marriage was the end game.

I also knew the pressures money carried with it.

Bill was wealthy but it didn't compare to the money someone made when they ran a massively successful company like Sookie would one day. Money strived to keep money and Bill wanted to solidify his future. I didn't doubt that he may like or possibly even come to love Sookie but I was sure it was her money he loved and wanted most.

I had to break them up, no longer because I wanted to win or because I wanted to sleep with her, I needed to do it for her own well being. I didn't care how wonderful he was to her, if he wined and dined her, cooked for her, listened to her stories, made her feel beautiful or whatever other reasons she was with Bill. There was something rotten in his core and he would poison her with it the moment he knew she was his. Sookie had a light inside of her and it was something I didn't want to see go out.

She was different.

"Well I hope you know what you're doing." I sighed out.

"I guess we'll see. Things can change in a moment." She laughed and ran to go get Toby.

"Yeah, they can." I muttered to myself as they both ran towards me.

"Let's back to your place. I wanna look through your stuff." She shouted as she ran past me with Toby following.

"Yeah." I said with a smile till I registered what she said. "Wait, what?" I shouted as I ran after them.

**SOOKIE**

I ran up his stairs and into the first room on my left. It was a bedroom, lots of furniture all made of dark wood and the curtains, rugs and bedsheets all had blue, white and grey tones. Minimalistic, this was Eric's bedroom. I heard him come up behind me huffing. "You're fucking nosy."

"Bon Temps is really boring, I have to take my entertainment where I can get it." I smiled, winking at him. "So this is where the magic happens?"

He nodded slowly, crossing his arms, walking cautiously into the room. "It is." His muscles flexed under his white t-shirt and his blue jeans hung lazily around his hips. Toby moved around the room smelling everything.

I turned with a inquisitive look on my face. "What do you do when you can't sleep?" I sat down on the bed and looked up at him. "Do you just lie here with your conquests until you pass out?"

"Can you not call them conquests, they're people." He said slightly annoyed. "And what do you do when Bill falls asleep?" He asked as he bounced down on the bed beside me. He did not like people roaming freely in his house. That was clear.

"Sometimes I just lie there until I fall asleep, sometimes I watch TV or read or just walk around until I feel like I'm about to pass out." I bent over to kiss Toby's head when he came around to smell the bed.

Eric took a deep breath and smacked his lips before he spoke. "I wait until she has fallen asleep and then I get out of bed, go downstairs and drink or read or watch TV until I get tired enough to sleep for a couple hours if at all." He rubbed his face with a sigh.

"So you don't sleep with them, ever?"

"I find sleeping with someone incredibly intimate and intimacy is not my thing, so I don't do it." He widened his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

I furrowed my brow. "Isn't having sex the most intimate thing you can do?"

She shook his head. "Not the way I do it." He stood and walked out of the room.

The sadness that surrounded Eric Northman was becoming more and more apparent every time I saw him, every time I hung out with him. Something made him this way and I wanted to know what it was.

"Why don't you have any pictures anywhere?" I asked following him out into the hallway. I was assuming he didn't get along with his parents. They gave him this house to stay out of their business and that was the way everyone liked it. It was the same arrangement I had with my mother always and my father about seventy percent of the time.

"I'm not very sentimental person." He was becoming short with me.

"You don't like it when people try to get know you, do you?" I asked heading to the door next to his bedroom.

"No, no." He rushed towards the door with panic in his voice and stood in front of it, keeping me from opening it.

"What's in there?" I asked, poking him playfully in the stomach, trying to curb his gloominess.

"It's just private." His normal cockiness was non existent and his breathing was shallow.

"Is it your red room? Are you Christian Grey?" I asked as he placed his hands on my shoulders and moved me away from the room, across the hall into another one. "If you think I'm gonna be your Anastasia Steele, you can forget it." I said with humour in my voice.

"What the fuck are you talk - wait the chick in these _50 Shades of Grey_ books name is Anastasia Steele?" He stopped us in the middle of the room. Toby jumped up onto the bed that I assumed was reserved for guests.

"Yep." I spotted a guitar in the corner of the room. "Is that a Fender?" I asked.

"And she's not a stripper?" He questioned as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Nope." I said as I fingered the strings.

"And she's not a porn star?"

"Nope."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Well you haven't read the books and believe me her name is the least stupid part about the them." I picked up the guitar and strummed the one chord I knew.

"Why are you still reading them then if they're so terrible?" He stood up and took the guitar from me, placing it back on the stand.

"Cause I started something and I intend to finish it." I grinned at him. "So you play the guitar?" I walked over and lied on the bed next to Toby.

"Yes." He said looking back at me.

"Play me something." I rubbed Toby's ears as his eyes started to droop.

"No."

"What? Why?" I said borderline offended.

"Because I play guitar for me and no one else. I sing for me and no one else." He lied on the other side of the dog.

"You can sing too? Why wouldn't you sing every moment of every day? Singing and music makes everything better. If you have talent spread the love Northman!" I exclaimed as I propped myself up on my shoulder.

"Nope, not for me." He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Cause that would require you putting yourself out there and possibly embarrassing yourself, right?" I said rolling my eyes.

He touched one of his index fingers to his nose and he pointed the other one at me as a huge grin spread across his face.

I laughed as I collapsed on the bed and closed my eyes. "I can play the piano."

"Really?" He said with plenty of interest in his voice.

"Jason got the "boy" instrument, the guitar and I had to learn the "girl" instrument. Luckily, I actually like playing."

"I saw the piano in your house. I didn't realize someone could actually play it. I figured you had it cause your family is like all musical and shit." He sat up playing the air piano before his hands fell back into his lap.

"My family isn't like all musical and shit we actually are all musical and shit." I smirked as I sat up.

"Can you sing?"

"Sorta, I'm not terrible but I'm not great. Jason's the singer. Jason got everything." I sighed.

"You and him don't get along? You don't seem too." He was much better at learning things about me than I was about him. He had more finesse. I guess you had to learn when you were a bartender.

"We do and we don't. There are times when all I wanna do is hang out with him and then there's other times when I wanna punch him in his stupid face. But sometimes we are all the other has so at the end of the day we love each other." I shrugged.

"Why are you in Bon Temps?" He squinted his eyes slightly. "I mean you leave for twelve years and then all of a sudden come back? Why?" His voice was dripping with curiosity. He was finally comfortable with me. He wasn't trying to be Eric Northman anymore, he was just Eric.

I sighed again. "My father is old. He'll be seventy nine this year and he's retiring. Jason should take over the company, he works there now, he understands the business, he likes country music but Jason's…" I trailed off.

"Dumber than a bag full of hammers?" Eric finished my thought. He was right but he wasn't allowed to talk about my brother that way.

My brow furrowed. "Hey, you be sweet!" I said with angry in my voice.

"Sorry, won't happen again."

"Anyway, my father's not sure that's the type of person he wants running his legacy. So he brought Jason and I out here to learn a little about us and decide who he wants running the company. We got here in early May and my father left in mid-May." I smiled at Eric who was expressionless. "I love my daddy and our relationship is strained but he made me who I am. I am me because of him and I know he loves me and I know he loves Jason but he loves Sonnet most." A wave of sadness came over me knowing that what I was saying wasn't a sob story, I wasn't lying or over exaggerating, what I was saying was the truth.

"And why don't you want to run Sonnet?"

"Jason fell into our lifestyle easily. Money suits him and he loves the life it affords him. He doesn't care that he hasn't earned it for himself but me, I want something that's mine. I love my life, I have so much more than I should and I know how lucky I am but I would love to know that everything in my life is my own."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I want to teach children in Africa."

"Really?" The surprise in his voice was greater than I wanted it to be. Did I really come off that shallow?

I nodded. "I went to school to become a teacher and I would love to do that. I get a trust fund when I turn twenty-five in September, so I'm gonna take that and build my life. I know it's not entirely mine, my father's money will help me but the life I build with it will be mine. I'll do what I love. Make a difference."

"You don't think music can make a difference?"

"I think music can change the world, I just don't know if it's my world to change. I guess that's what I wanna find out." I breathed in deep. "Now I just have to spend the summer trying to out stupid Jason."

"Well lets see how you're doing so far, you got a job, you don't throw massive house parties and you are dating a guy who's marriage material." He was counting them off on his fingers. "Yep, you're super irresponsible. There's no way your father would want you running his company." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up." I laughed out as I slapped him on the chest. A moment of silence passed between us. "You are good at this getting people to talk shit."

He laughed. "I should have been a cop."

I laughed and stood up. "Okay, enough about me, lets find out something about you." I walked out of the guest bedroom and into the room next to it. It was a library filled with books. Every shelf was packed with them and in front of the window was a desk riddled with papers. He flew past me and piled the papers together shoving them in his desk. He pushed his hair back that had fallen out of place.

"What was that?" I looked at him like he was nuts, walking around to see his desk, sitting down in the chair.

"Those were private." He looked down at me.

"Everything is so private around here." I sighed, crossing my arms.

"You're nosy as fuck you know that?"

"Yeah," I said with a smile as I looked up at him expectantly.

He sighed. "I write poetry and short stories, to curb boredom." He nodded. "But again that is something I do for me and no one else."

"So you won't share any of it with me?" I asked.

"No."

I huffed. "Fine, you write poetry, play guitar and sing. I could sign you, you know. Make you a star."

He smirked and rolled his eyes. "No you couldn't. Sonnet Records specializes in country music and I don't sing country." He pulled me up out of the chair and started pushing me out of the room. "That's enough learning about my life for today."

I looked up and saw a blue flag with a yellow cross in the middle hanging above his door. "Sweden, you're from Sweden." I said, my eyes lighting up and a smile spreading across my face. "I have been trying to place your accent since the moment I met you."

We walked down the stairs together, Toby following behind us, as he nodded. "Yes, I was born in Sweden."

"When did you move to Bon Temps?"

"When I was nine."

"I think the more important question is why did you move to Bon Temps?" I smiled as we sat down on his couch, finally on the first floor, Toby in between us.

"My dad opened the North American branch of his business in Houston and thought that a smaller town was better for me to grow up in. So, we moved to Bon Temps." He smiled softly looking away from me.

"What business is your dad in? I'm assuming it's why you're so wealthy." I motioned to his the general grandeur of his home.

"Um, there's a software that most retail business in North America and Europe use and my father created it in the 80's. It's also used in some parts of Asia, South America and Africa but not as widely."

My eyes widened. "I would have never thought something like that would make that much money"

"There are a lot of business' all over the world and when something is efficient people want to use it. They pay for the upgrades yearly, new businesses buy it everyday."

"And is that were your parents are now? In Houston?" I asked kissing Toby on the head as he slept.

Eric shifted uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, no," he paused and I looked up at him, "my parents died when I was a teenager."

My chest tightened and I sat up. I felt uncomfortable and stupid for being so nosy but I didn't think that was the answer I was going to receive. I guess it made sense why there was no pictures anywhere. "I'm so sorry Eric."

"I still own 51% of the company and the other owners run it. I go to Houston two times a year to check on everything and I collect checks." He shrugged. "Software isn't really my thing."

He didn't want to talk about his parents, how he felt about them or how they died. I was assuming it was a car crash, drug overdose, suicide or possibly old age, his father could have been old like mine. If his parents died when he was young that's how the rich usually went. "I'm really sorry Eric." I said again because I really didn't know what else to say.

"Thanks." He said quietly. We sat in silence for a minute or two while we listened to Toby licking his paws.

"You wanna watch _He__'__s Just Not That Into You_?" I asked him with a smile. He looked so sad and I wanted the cocky, confident Eric I knew back.

He smiled and nodded.

I put on the movie and we made fun of it most of the way through. "I don't remember this movie being this bad." He said when it was closer to the end.

"It's not that bad." I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and stretched out on the couch so my feet was touching his thighs and Toby was lying by my side.

"It's pretty bad." He didn't look at me and continued to watch as I stared at him.

"Eric?" I said quietly.

"Yeah?" He replied still watching the TV.

"I'm glad we're friends."

He looked over at me as shock swept his face for barely a moment and then he smiled. "Me too." He went back to watching the movie and so did I in our comfortable silence.

After it was over I ran over to my place to grab my uniform, then he picked me up and drove to work. It was a busy night and we barely spoke to each other. We locked up together and got into his car and drove home in silence.

He pulled up to my house. "That'll be forty eight bucks, Stackhouse." He said holding out his hand.

I looked at his hand with confusion. "What? What for?"

"The ride to and from work. I don't do anything for free." I just stared at him blankly. "Come on, pay up."

An annoyed look swept my face. "Are you joking?" I asked.

He smiled and put down his hand. "Yeah, I'm joking."

"You're an asshole." I said getting out of the car.

"That's what you love about me." He put his hand on the back of the passenger seat head rest to look at me.

I laughed. "Thank you for the ride Eric. I'll see you tomorrow maybe?"

"Text me, or I'll text you." He said with that brilliant smile.

"Sounds like a plan. Good night Eric."

"Good night Stackhouse."

I stepped away from the car as he drove away.

I went in to the house surprised to find Jason in it. He was in our entertainment room and I became excited hoping we could spend some time together. Unfortunately Jessica was with him.

"Hi Sookie!" She beamed and then her nose crinkled. I braced myself for an insult. "You really need to stop working at Merlotte's. It's making your skin all oily."

I took a deep breath in as my eyes widened and I looked at Jason. "Okay, I'm gonna go to bed. If you can keep the volume down it would be appreciated."

"You got it, sis." He nodded at me and went back to his movie. They were watching _Wild Things._

I took a shower, slipped into a tank top, fresh panties and went to bed.

It only took me half an hour to fall asleep.

* * *

**How did you like the chapter? It was a learning chapter, character development is what they call it, I think. **

**I really have no idea if retail software would make that much money but lets pretend it does. **

**Reviews are loved. I always love to know what you all think. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Later Into the Night

**A/N: Thank you ashmo2000, MelodyAnderson, 34ken, suzyq59, ericplenty, BlueMonday2387 and the two guests who reviewed chapter 7. I really appreciate it. I know I always say that but I really do. **

**Ashler55 I****'****m so happy you****'****re all caught up and I****'****m so happy you love it.**

**I've edited this chapter myself and I am terrible with the spelling and the grammar. Please forgive me. **

**Y****'****all don****'****t want anything to do with Bill at all. Yikes. This is a love triangle story so Bill****'****s gonna be there. If it makes you feel any better chapter 11 is called Goodbye and it has to do with Bill. This story is planned out, it****'****s going to be about 28 chapters, possibly 29 or 30 if some chapters run long. Please trust me, I know what I****'****m doing and everything will be alright. **

**Here is chapter 8. I hope you all like it.**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

Bill had started working more and more during the day and Tara was taking classes at the community college in Shreveport to become a vet tech so I began hanging out with Eric almost everyday. We would watch movies or shitty TV shows, hang out by the pool or we'd just talk.

The conversations were never as in-depth as they were the day I met Toby but I learned things about him little by little. He loved Chinese food but only lo mein and chicken balls, his favourite beer was Coors Light but he would never drink it in public, in public he drank Budweiser. Periodically he would buy a chocolate fudge cake and eat the entire thing within twenty-four hours. He went to the gym or for a run everyday, usually in the early hours in the morning. He liked every genre of movie and his favourite type of music was classic rock but he enjoyed all types. They weren't huge things but I noticed them.

This is how we spent our days.

It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon as we laid out enjoying the summer heat. "These are some fucking potent brownies Sookie." LaFayette said as he lounged on one of my deck chair. His style was a little more subdued today, he was in full makeup but he was only wearing red swim trunks, nothing flashy.

"Yes, yes they are." I giggled as I moved my hand back and forth in the water. I had pushed my deck chair up to the edge of the pool. It was a very rare day that none of us had to work at any point during a weekday so we were making the most of it.

"This is fucking bullshit! How did you both get pot brownies and I didn't. I'm eating another one." Eric wailed, getting up, heading towards his house.

"No!" I shouted, reaching out with my arm in vain to stop him, rolling over and falling into the pool.

I surfaced to Eric grabbing my arm. "You gotta stop falling into pools Stackhouse, I won't always be there to pull you out of them." he said wrapping a towel around me. Toby was at my feet trying to eat the drops of water that fell off my body.

I was laughing hysterically and so was LaFayette. "No breaking the rules Northman." I reprimanded him by waging my finger. "One a day, those are the rules." I took the towel and wiped off my face. "There is a lot of beer in the house."

He huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine." He stomped off into the house leaving me and LaFayette alone.

"So yous been spending a lot of time with my boy Eric." LaFayette said to me. It wasn't a question.

I nodded. "Yeah, we get along, live in close proximity, have stuff in common so we hang out." I sat down on my chair again.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away." He took a sip of the pina colada that he made for himself with a smug look on his face.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like that." I laid back out on the deck chair as I rubbed the remaining drops of water off my body, marvelling at my new neon orange swim suit.

"Mmm-hmm, not yet." He didn't sound convinced.

I knew this was bound to happen. It was difficult for people to accept a man and woman being friends, especially when I looked the way I did and when Eric looked like Eric, the type of guy _everyone_ stopped to look at. I knew people were talking, I knew Bill was listening and all of it was so tedious, so high school.

"Bill must love it." LaFayette laughed.

"Bill must love what?" said a low, tired voice.

My eyes flew open to see Bill standing on my deck. He was wearing black dress pants, a white dress shirt with the first two buttons undone and black dress shoes. "Bill." I stood and walked over to him giving him a kiss. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working." I rubbed his arm trying to seem as sober as possible.

"I was, I just wanted to pop over and see you." He smiled as he looked past me to LaFayette. "Are you having a party?" Toby ran over to him then stopped about a foot away and started growling at him, barking like crazy.

"Toby!" I said shortly trying to shoo him away.

"Hey Billy!" LaFayette called out lazily behind me. Bill gave him a nod and a wave.

"I have the day off so I had a couple people over." I shrugged looking back at LaFayette who had gotten up and was singing and dancing to an Iggy Azalea song.

"Is Northman here?" He already knew the answer, his tone was short, tight.

"Yes." I said trying to stay as composed as possible but I couldn't help but giggle just a little bit. I knew he was going to be angry and because I was as high as a kite it was all so hilarious.

"Where is he?" He said looking around me.

"He's inside sacrificing a goat, getting the alter ready." I said rolling my eyes. "Bill," I put my hands on either side of his face. "This paranoia you have about him has got to stop, Eric and I are friends and that's it." I looked into his eyes.

His brow furrowed. "Are you high?" He grabbed my face. "Did he force you to do this?"

"Yes, I forced her to take drugs cause I'm the villain in an after school special." Eric said behind me. I turned my head to look at him as he put down the two bottles of Coors in his hands. His voice was full of sarcasm as he removed his t-shirt that I was surprised he had kept on this long. I rolled my eyes at him understanding completely why he was removing his shirt now.

"He is a bad influence on you." Bill said looking at me, pointing at Eric.

I sighed. "Bill he didn't make me do anything. I ate a pot brownie that I made by the way because it's _my_ day off and _I_ decide what I do with my free time. I'm sorry if you're angry but that your problem and you are really fucking up my high right now." I moved away from him running my hands through my wet hair. I was angry and I was so sick of their feud.

He sighed and rubbed his face. "This is a problem." He motioned to Eric who raised his beer as he cheers'd Bill.

"Then don't make it one. He is not the person you knew in high school." I placed my hands on his chest as his hands fell to my hips.

"I really doubt that."

"Well you aren't the person you were in high school. We are adults now, let's start talking acting like it." I looked at him trying my hardest to focus, trying my hardest to end this childishness between these two men. "You are my boyfriend and he is my friend and if you both," I pointed at Eric, "this goes for you too, if you both keep this up you are both going to lose me. So stop."

He looked at me seriously, serious even for Bill and then his face softened. "Yeah, you're right, it's petty." He kissed me deeply. "Dinner tonight? I'll cook."

I nodded. "That sounds nice." I gave him a kiss.

"I have to get back to work." He stepped away from me and waved. "LaFayette, Northman."

"Bye Bill!" Eric sang cheerfully as he waved furiously.

I turned to look at him. "You be nice to him. You are both getting on my nerves with all of this shit." I flopped down on the chair.

"I'll be on my best behaviour."

I turned and shot him an aggressive look. "I mean it."

"Okay!" He shouted back mimicking a halo over his head. "I'll be nice to Compton."

I turned back and nestled into the chair. "Good." I smiled as I let my high take back over.

I heard LaFayette start laughing. "Why you all doing this to yourselves?"

Eric sighed. "Dude, you're high, stop talking."

"What do you mean?" I looked over at him, ignoring Eric.

"Why are you fighting the inevitable?" He was looking at me and then looked at Eric. "Except I think this one will end in tears."

"Shut up LaFayette," Eric said and then I heard a splash. He swam to the other end of the pool pulling himself out and sat on the edge for some time looking at the water. Finally he looked up at me. "Beer?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

He headed toward the house. "I'd like one too." LaFayette cooed.

"Nope." Eric said.

There was a tension in the air that I didn't appreciate and it was fucking up my high worse than Bill did. I wasn't happy that people assumed that my life was so out of my control that I didn't even have a say in who I wanted to be romantically involved with. I was sick of the implications and jokes. So much was already out of my control and if I could make a choice it would be mine and mine alone.

I took the beer when Eric gave it to me and closed my eyes trying to drown LaFayette and Eric out.

~x~x~x~x~

I rubbed aloe on my shoulders as Bill placed a plate of beef stroganoff in front of me. "I can't believe how badly you got burned."

"That's the price I pay for falling asleep by the pool." I slowly moved my arms to grab my fork and took a bite of the meal. "This is really good."

"Thank you." He grinned at me. We ate in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "So I was thinking about what you said and I think we should invite Eric over for dinner."

I looked at him in shock. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean I can't get over how I feel about Eric if I never get to know him. We'll invite Tara, Pam, LaFayette and Jason and it will be an easy environment to do that in. I'll cook, you can bake, we'll both host. Lots of wine and good conversation. It'll be fun." He smiled widely.

"Are you sure?" I asked still not believing he wanted to do this.

"For you, I'm sure I want to do this." He placed his hand over mine and squeezed.

I smiled widely forgetting about my sunburn. "Okay, yeah. This will be fun. I'll text Tara and LaFayette and I'll tell Eric tomorrow at work." I couldn't believe how mature he was being. I was so excited that I wouldn't have to separate my lives anymore, that everything could blend together.

"Let's do it this Sunday. Merlotte's is closed on Sunday's right?" He inquired.

I nodded.

"That way everyone can get a little drunk, let loose, have a good time and not have to worry about anything." He took a sip of his beer.

I stared at him with a smile. "Thank you. Thank you for being so wonderful." I kissed him on the cheek.

We finished our meal in silence, cleaned up and then we made love.

**ERIC**

Merlotte's was becoming more and more busy, I noticed it was busiest when Sookie and I worked together. LaFayette was right, I brought in the women and Sookie brought in the men who hoped they could charm the heiress with no ring on her finger. When the dinner rush finally died down and Sookie and I had both tidied up she came over to sit by the bar. "What are you doing this Saturday?" She asked taking a sip of the water I handed to her.

"Are you asking me out on a date? I knew it was only a matter of time but in this setting, I thought you'd be a little more romantic Stackhouse." I tried to sound as love struck as possible.

She rolled her eyes, "Bill and I are having a dinner party of sorts and we'd love it if you could make it." She beamed at me.

"Is it just gonna be us three?" I asked.

She shook her head as she swallowed the water she had in her mouth and her ponytail swung back and forth. "No I'm inviting Tara, Pam, LaFayette and Jason."

"Is Bill cooking?"

She nodded.

There was a moment of silence. "He's going to try to poison me."

She laughed. "I guess we'll see." She smiled. "It'll be fine, I promise and you and Bill can work on at least being civil to each other."

I stared at her for a moment as she stared right back awaiting my answer. I huffed, "Fine, I'll come."

"Good. Bring wine." She swung her body around the stool and went to visit her remaining tables.

Luckily, the rest of the night was slow and at one we were both ready to lock up and leave. "Out you go Stackhouse." I motioned for her to go but she lingered behind me. "What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Do you want to stay and play some pool?" She asked timidly.

I looked at her with curiosity. "Don't you want to go home? Aren't you tired? Don't you want to see Bill."

"Well I'm either going home to an empty house or to a house full of drunk people, neither sound appealing and I'm never really tired. Bill has a conference call early in the morning so I'm alone tonight and I would love to stay here and play pool with you." She said throwing her purse on the counter.

I stared at her for a moment before I reached out my hand. "iPhone, please." I smiled as I took off my jacket and placed it by her purse.

I plugged in her phone, pushed play and poured us a couple of beers while she broke. I won the first game and she won the second. I watched her carefully as she moved around the table looking for her next shot. "So why can't you sleep, Stackhouse?" I asked her.

"What?" She asked as she sunk one of her balls in the far left pocket.

"I know why I can't sleep, so why can't you?" She missed and I lined up my shot.

She sighed. "It's stupid."

"If it's keeping you up at night then it can't be that stupid." I took my next shot and missed.

"It started when I entered university. All my professors kept using the word future, a lot, and I had never really thought about my future. I mean I had thought about it but I had never really about it but one night I did, I really started thinking about it. I didn't think that I was going to take over Sonnet, that was for Jason but I always assumed I'd work there but then I started wondering if I wanted to. Then I started thinking, if I don't want to do that then what do I want to do?" She took a sip of her beer. "Then my mother, in our brief conversations, kept pestering me about marriage and kids and before I knew it I just couldn't fall asleep." She got up and took her shot, she missed. "I just felt like I had so much to do and so little time to do it. It got a little better when I was dating Alcide but just a little, I thought I was going to marry him."

"Al-who?" I asked.

"Oh, Alcide," she shook her head, " Alcide was my boyfriend while I was in Uni. I think the stressed lifted slightly because I thought he was the one. Everything would be okay." She took another sip of her beer.

"What happened with Alcide?" I finished my beer and took a shot. I didn't know if it was mine or hers.

"The age old tale, he cheated on me with someone younger and blonder." She shrugged and went to the bar to pour another beer.

"Younger? You're twenty-four, what was she a fetus?" I handed her my glass to refill.

"A freshman." She laughed. "It was about a two ago, I've come to terms with it but anyway, that's why I can't sleep." She handed me a beer as I braced myself for the question I knew she was about to ask. "Why can't you sleep?"

I sighed. "When I was fifteen my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and for whatever reason the drugs she was taking made her sleep all day. She was only ever awake at night and I knew, we both knew, she only had so long, so I stayed awake with her. In the beginning it was just staying up watching movies, talking, making sure she was alright, stuff like that." I drank half of my beer in one go. "When she couldn't leave the hospital I was there every night, the nurses broke rules and let me stay when I shouldn't have been there. So I learned to stay awake, power naps, sleeping during free periods, sleeping a few hours at dusk, after school and when she died I couldn't shake the habit. She also died at night, so did my dad, I have a stigma when it comes to night time." I was silent as I looked anywhere but into her eyes. I knew she was going to have that sympathetic 'poor orphan boy' look that I always got.

"How did your father die?" She asked leaning over the counter towards me. I looked at her to find curiosity in her eyes.

"He had a heart attack when I was fourteen."

"Jesus." She looked away from me with a furrowed brow. "Was he old?"

"Forty-two."

"How old was your mother?"

"Forty-one."

"How old were you when she died?"

"Eighteen."

"You have no other relatives?"

"My parents were only children, their parents had died when they were young. It's just me."

"I'm very sorry Eric, that must have been horrible." She looked at me with sadness in her eyes but she wasn't pitying me. She felt sorry for me but she didn't look at me like I was broken, like I needed to be fixed. She looked at me like I was someone who had lost something, which I was but not someone that had grown weaker for losing it, but I was weaker. I was never the same once I lost them, I was just a very good actor, good enough to fool her. "What were their names?" She asked.

"Astrid and Sebastian." I swallowed hard not wanting to speak about them anymore.

She smiled and took my glass pouring me another beer, handing it to me. She knew I was becoming uncomfortable so she was changing the subject. She sighed and looked at me. "Is Sam gonna be mad we're drink this beer?" She asked pouring herself one.

"I don't really care." I stood to go back to the pool table. "I bring so many women into this bar which in turn brings men in, he owes me a few beers." I smiled. "Come on Stackhouse, I have to finish kicking your ass."

"Um, excuse me, I'm pretty sure I'm winning." She circled the table like a shark. "And I think it's my turn." It was her turn. She bent over and sunk a ball and then another. She stood and circled the table again.

"Stackhouse?" I said quietly.

Her head jolted towards me, hearing the venerability in my voice. "Yeah?"

"You know how important what I just told you is right? How personal it is? Only two people know about my parents. The details I mean, everyone in this town knows they died." I took the three steps that was needed to be standing directly in front of her. I looked down at her as she processed what I said.

"This is just between you and me. I won't tell anyone, not even Bill." She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. I put my arms around her, one around her shoulders, the other landing on the crown of her head, stroking her hair which smelled like grapefruit. Sweet and tangy just like Sookie. "Thank you for sharing this with me." She whispered into my chest.

"You're welcome." I whispered back. We stood together for a few seconds longer. "But I really think you need to get back to kicking my ass in this game."

She stepped away from me and grinned. "You're a graceful loser. I like that."

She won and I drove her home after we locked up.

I took Toby for a walk and fed him. I browsed my Netflix for a half hour before I looked over at Toby, who was now sitting beside me on the couch and said, "do you want to watch _The Dark Knight_?" I looked at him as his tongue flopped out of his mouth and he started to pant. "I'm gonna take that as a yes."

I put in the Blu-Ray and settled in for the movie as I ignored the tightening in my chest every time I thought about Sookie Stackhouse.

Sookie Stackhouse who I could always tell how well she slept by how much makeup she was wearing. Who loved lilies and hated daisies, loved the color red and young adult novels. Sookie who would marry cheese if she could and worked out in secret. Sookie who could bake with finesse and drink like a champ. Sookie who was just alone as I was, who was just as afraid of the future as I was. The girl I realized that would be gone in eight weeks and that thought made me lose my breath.

* * *

**What did you all think? This is all building towards something, I swear. **

**Reviews are loved. **

**Thanks for reading. **


	9. The Denial Twist

**A/N: Thank you again for all the kind reviews. ashmo2000, anonymouscsifan, ap630, maria1981, Rikku Ree, suzyq59, ericplenty, outinritefield1, BlueMonday2387, MelodyAnderson and the guest that reviewed thank you so so much. I****'****m at 83 reviews and I couldn****'****t be happier how this story has been embraced, **

**Ashler55 I hope this is everything you want it to be. **

**Again I edited this so it might be riddled with mistakes. **

**I hope you all enjoy. **

* * *

**SOOKIE**

"This is a bad idea." I said to Bill as I finished setting the dining room table. The kitchen was a large space that encompassed the dining room area as well.

"Everything will be fine." Bill assured me as he tasted whatever sauce he was making. He was cooking mushroom chicken with risotto and vegetables and the smell was intoxicating. It was nice to be with a man who could cook.

I nodded and smiled, letting out a large sigh. "Yeah, everything will be fine, what's the worst that could happen?" I said smoothing out my pale pink chiffon dress with a silk slip underneath. It was comfiest formal dress I had and I wanted to be comfortable tonight.

Jason poked his head around the corner and walked into the kitchen. "Smells great in here boss." He said slapping Bill on the back before looking at me. "You look real nice Sook."

He was wearing dark wash jeans and a white dress shirt, he smelled clean for once. "You too Jason."

He nodded and took a huge breath in. "So I invited Jessica and Hoyt, I hope that's okay."

My face fell. "What?" I said through gritted teeth.

"What? I thought you liked Hoyt." Jason said innocently while eating some cherry tomatoes from the platter I had put out.

"I like Hoyt fine but Jessica is the fucking worst and I don't want her in my house." I swatted him away from the food and handed him a beer to keep him occupied.

"Hey!" Bill exclaimed. "That's my sister you're talking about."

I cocked an eyebrow and placed my hands on my hips. "Give me one example of a time she wasn't the worst?" I looked at him expectantly knowing he wouldn't be able to.

He sighed as his body deflated. "Fine, she's the worst."

"Thank you." I looked over at Jason. "Now you, uninvite her."

He took a sip of his beer. "How about she comes and if she does something you don't like you can ask her to leave?"

"That sounds fair." Bill chimed in.

"Fine but I will ask her to leave at the smallest indiscretion." I pointed at Jason with authority.

"Totally fair." He held his hands up as if I was pointing a gun at him.

Jessica would be fine and if she wasn't it would feel good to kick her out of my house.

Then the doorbell rang.

I took a deep breath.

"It'll be fine." Bill said again coming up to me and kissing my temple.

I nodded and went to answer the door. It was LaFayette, Tara and Pam. "Hey baby girl." LaFayette cooed, "you look good enough to eat, are you what were having for dinner?" He pointed at me as he cocked his head to one side.

I kissed him on the cheek, "It's nice to see you too LaFayette." He was wearing black pants, red running shoes, a black tank top, a red shawl over his shoulders and a red bandana on his head. His makeup was perfect as usual. I took the bottle of tequila from him as he handed it to me and he went inside.

Pam was wearing a tight black dress with long sleeves and Tara was wearing a loose white maxi dress. "You guys look amazing." I said hugging Tara while Pam avoided touching me by handed me the wine.

"It was expensive, this dinner better be worth it." She walked into the house.

"Nice to see you too Pam." I said wrapping my arm around Tara's waist and she did like wise.

"So you convinced Eric to come this?" Tara questioned.

I nodded. "It didn't take much convincing." I laughed.

"And it was Bill's idea?" She sounded baffled. I nodded with a huge smile on my face. "I guess hell has frozen over." Her eyes widened and she laughed.

"Can I get you something to drink?" I asked her.

"Bourbon, if you have it."

"For sure." I said as I went to make her a drink just after I placed the tequila and wine on the counter. She was hugging and laughing with Jason when I returned.

I handed her the drink as Jason looked at me. "Tara is in to ladies now Sook, did you know that?" He was so happy. I wasn't sure if Jason had met a lesbian before.

"Yeah, that's her girlfriend over there." I pointed to Pam who was refilling her wine glass.

"That's your girlfriend? You get hotter chicks than I do Tara!" He exclaimed.

"That's because I am hotter than you Jason Stackhouse." She winked before taking a sip of her bourbon.

The two of them giggled as the doorbell rang again and I excused myself to go and answer the door.

Jessica and Hoyt were standing behind it. Hoyt was wearing his standard plaid shirt, jeans and work boots. Jessica was wearing a tight emerald green cocktail dress and it looked stunning against her pale skin and red hair. "Hi Sookie, you look amazing." She hugged me tightly as I felt the bottle of wine in her hand hit me in the back.

"Okay." I said pushing her away while taking the wine and going to hug Hoyt.

"I didn't bring anything, I'm sorry." He sounded embarrassed.

"It's okay, there's plenty of everything inside." I said pushing him into the house so I could close the door.

"Stackhouse." Eric called to me before I shut the door all the way.

I opened the door and met him on the porch with a huge smile on my face. "Look at you Northman." I said wrapping my arms around him. He smelled clean and fresh, like the sea. He was wearing grey dress pants, a grey blazer, a white dress shirt and black dress shoes. "You dressed up."

"I feel stupid." He said as he parted from me.

"You look amazing."

"Really?" He said with the oozing cockiness. "You in a cheatin' mood Stackhouse?"

I slapped him on the stomach with the back of my hand. "Fuck off." I laughed as we walked into the house.

"I kid, I kid." He handed me the bottle of wine in. "It's white, a Chardonnay and wine or so they told me at the wine store."

"If they cork it, I will drink." I nudged him in the side. "I'm sure it'll be wonderful."

Bill greeted Eric first. "Northman, I'm glad you could make it." Bill shook his hand.

Eric looked at Bill like he had three heads and he looked over at me and I nodded in encouragement. "Thanks for having me." He said cautiously. "Smells good."

"Thanks, I hope you'll enjoy it." Bill dropped his hand.

"I'm sure I will." Eric smiled and walked over to the fridge. "You mind if I grab a beer?"

I shook my head and he took one from the fridge, walking back over to me.

"I made something for you." I said pointing at the island. There was a chocolate fudge cake sitting on a pedestal.

He looked at it and laughed. "You keep baking for me Stackhouse, you must really care about me or something." He smiled radiantly.

I shrugged. "You're alright." I smiled back.

He chuckled a little bit as he looked around before his eyes grew large. "What's the she-devil doing here?" He asked pointing at Jessica with his beer.

I rolled my eyes and sighed in irritation. "Jason's dick likes what Jason's dick likes."

"Gross." His nose was scrunched up.

"Dinner's ready." Bill announced. He had timed it perfectly.

I went over to the island where he had prepared all the plates. "Looks good." I said smiling as I leaned in to kiss him grabbing two plates and heading towards the table. Once everyone had food and drink I took my place at the head of the table as Eric sat on my left and Bill on my right.

We all ate in a peaceful silence and someone would comment every once in awhile about how good the food was.

We cut up the cake and started talking a little more, Eric complementing my baking skills and LaFayette mentioning how it would be better if there was weed in it. Eric, Tara and Hoyt offered to clear the table as I refilled everyone's drinks and I settled in for some conversation.

"Eric what are you doing these days?" Bill asked drinking his beer.

Eric's eyes darted to mine before answering him. "I work at Merlotte's as a bartender." He handed a plate to Tara who told him to go sit down. They were almost already done loading the dishwasher anyway.

"No interest in taking over the family business." Bill asked as Eric sat down.

Eric grabbed his beer and drank before answering. "As of right now, nope not really."

"Any leading ladies in your life?" Bill smiled warmly and grabbed my hand that was resting on the table.

Eric's eyes moved towards the embrace then to my face then back to Bill. The way he looked at me made me shift uncomfortably. "No, just bit players." Eric sighed. "What do you do for fun Bill?"

"I run, go to the movies, vacation. Things like that and yourself?"

"Nothing really, TV and movies usually."

"Eric is a musician." I interrupted, beaming.

"Really?" Jason said perking up. "What do you play?"

Eric shot me an annoyed look. "Guitar." He said bluntly.

"Cool, we should jam one day."

"Maybe." Eric said unsure as the conversation trailed off and we sat in silence for a few uncomfortable moments.

"Sookie, I never realized how much you're family spruced up this place." Jessica said looking around. "It's nice, I guess, for _your_ family." Her tone implied that there was something wrong with _my _family.

"Thanks Jess." I said tight lipped taking a sip of the bourbon I got for myself.

"I'm really happy you came back to Bon Temps it's really nice to see my brother so happy. It's so hard for a good man to find a faithful woman these days, you know?" Her eyes shifted to Eric for just a moment.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Right."

"And that dress looks nice on you. You must be so relieved you finally found something that doesn't make you look so chunky." Jessica finished her wine in one gulp.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Pam spat at her.

"Excuse me?" Jessica asked defensively. I felt a shift at the table as Tara and Hoyt sat down.

"I don't know you all that well but every time I've met you spew this passive aggressive bullshit and then smile like that'll make it okay but I see you for exactly what you are sugar. A spoiled rich bitch with a sickly sweet coating." Pam took a sip of her wine reclining in her seat. I couldn't help but smile, Pam had such style when it came to tearing someone down.

"And I see you for exactly what you are, a dyke in cheap drug store makeup." Jessica's venom flowed with such ease my anger took over before I realized that I was doing.

"Get out! Get the fuck out of my house." I shouted pointing towards the door.

"What?" Jessica asked with a shocked tone in her voice.

"You are being incredible rude to me and my guest and I want you gone. I also don't appreciate that you're a racist and a homophobe either so get the fuck out you fire crotch bitch from Hell." I shouted at her. It felt so good.

She stood with a shocked look on her face. "Bill, are you gonna let her speak to me this way?"

He shrugged. "I agree with Sookie, you were being rude."

"You are such a fake lying asshole." She was furious showing that everything she had said earlier was just an act. "Jason?" She looked at him expectantly.

Jason shrugged. "Sook asked you to leave, not me. I'm having a good time."

"Fuck you all." Jessica gave us all the finger and left with a slam of the door.

"That felt good." I smiled and took a sip of my bourbon.

"Well done." Eric said raising his beer.

"Thank you." I sighed. "Who should get the last piece?" There was one last piece of cake sitting on the pedestal that no one decided to clear.

Hoyt spoke up. "In my family we tell embarrassing stories about ourselves and the most embarrassing one gets the last of whatever is last."

"I like that," said Tara, "but you can't tell it yourself, some else at the table needs to tell one about you."

"That sounds fair," said Jason, "who wants to go first?"

"I've got one about Jason." said Hoyt smiling like a dope. "He met this girl at this bar and she took him home and while they were doin' it her little chihuahua bit his balls."

"When was this?" Tara asked laughing.

"Like two weeks ago."

"Is that why I had to pick you up from the hospital?" I asked him with a furrowed brow and he nodded with the famous Jason Stackhouse grin. "Gross." I said with a disgusted look on my face.

"Tara got drunk at a Christmas party and tried to make out with her bosses wife when she worked at the Target in Shreveport a couple of years ago." LaFayette said with a smug smile.

"Needless to say I was fired after that." Tara said shaking her head as Pam giggled like a schoolgirl, the wine apparently making her loose.

"Hoyt's mama caught him masturbating to the Animal Planet channel." said Jason as Hoyt's face crinkled in embarrassment.

"Eric was insanely drunk and got into a fight with an inflatable Santa on the front lawn of the mayors house and spent the night in jail." Pam said still giggling as she wiped a tear away for her eye. I pointed at Eric and laughed at him.

Eric retorted quickly. "Pam was so nervous the first time she kissed me she passed out." Tara laughed deeply at that story. "And LaFayette doesn't feel embarrassment." Eric said pointing at LaFayette.

"It's true, I is flawless." He took a sip of his tequila.

"So that just leave Bill and Stackhouse." Eric said grinning at me.

And then Jason decided to speak.

**ERIC**

"I've got a good one about Sook." Jason smirked while Sookie's body tensed beside me.

"I swear to god Jason if you tell this story I will stab you in the hand with my knife." She spat through gritted teeth.

"So there is this fair that sets up just outside Nashville every year and Sookie and I always go."

"Christ." Sookie drawled burying her face in her hands.

"So this one particular year Sookie and her friend Adilyn decided to eat a bunch of Mexican food and funnel cakes and deep fried butter balls and go on a bunch of rides." Jason's smile became wider. "And this one particular ride, The Zipper-"

"What's a Zipper?" Bill questioned cutting him off.

Sookie answered. "It's this big carnival ride that goes around in a circle vertically and you're in these cages that also spin."

Bill made a gesture that signalled that he understood and Jason continued even though I knew where the story was going. "So Sook and Adilyn got on this ride and inevitably Sookie got sick all over the place." Jason started laughing. His laughter triggered a few snickers around the table before Sookie groaned in embarrassment and Jason continued. "Not only had Sookie covered herself and Adilyn in vomit but Sookie with her never ending irritable bowel had also shit herself." Jason stopped just for a moment to choke down laughter before he continued. "And because she was in a short skirt and Sookie's shit was of the runny variety she and Adilyn was covered in that as well."

Sookie now had her head on the table resting in between her arms making fake crying noises. I looked up to everyone doing what I was doing. We were biting our lips because it was so embarrassing that we didn't want to laugh at her but it was too funny not to.

"Did that actually happen?" I asked placing my hand on her back.

She looked up at me with a pained look on her face and nodded.

That was when I started laughing and everyone followed.

"The carnies took them and hosed them off where they hose off the farm animals." Jason said contributing to the laughter.

"Oh God," Sookie moaned.

"You definitely get the last piece. That's embarrassing as fuck." I said taking the pedestal and putting it in front as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Adilyn doesn't speak to me anymore because of that." She said as she took the first bite of the cake.

"No Adilyn doesn't speak to you anymore because that night I fucked her and I may have been a little rude to her the next morning." Jason said reclining in his seat, finishing his beer.

"What?" Sookie looked at him in shook. "She was the only real friend I had and you had to fuck her. Fuck you Jason." She ate the cake aggressively.

"Don't pretend you're so innocent, you fucked Alcide." Jason got up to get another beer.

"Jason, I didn't fuck Alcide, I dated Alcide for two years and you're still friends with him. That is not a fair comparison." She finished the cake quickly.

"Who's Alcide?" Bill questioned.

Bill didn't know about the ex yet, but I did. Interesting.

"My ex." She looked up at Bill, her face still red. "Wait, no one told any about you. Doesn't Bill have one?" She looked at everyone at the table.

"I have one." I said smirking at him.

Sookie shot me and warning looking. "What? I do. At least think it's embarrassing."

"Let's hear it." He said placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hands.

I felt everyone shift uncomfortably. "In our finally year of high school we had to put on a musical production of _Peter Pan_ and because none of the girls could sing-"

Pam cut me off. "I could sing fine, Mr. Cohen is a fucking homophobe."

"Like I was saying because we had a homophobic teacher and the only girl who could sing was gay, Mr. Cohen made Bill do it cause he had the highest voice and looked good in a dress." I smiled at Bill.

"How is that embarrassing?" Sookie asked confused with a furrowed brow.

"I just think it's funny." I said trying to stifle a laugh.

Bill nodded. "I'm not ashamed of that. I was a great Wendy."

"You were okay." Pam drawled. Tara rubbed her arms supportingly.

Bill pointed at me and a pensive look flashed upon his face. "I can't remember you having anything to do with that play. Weren't you in that class? Where were you? I could have sworn you were a stage hand." His questions sounded harmless, they had the right influx to to make him sound unsure but I could hear the venom in his voice, the slight cock of his brow, just the minor raising of the corner of his mouth.

Bill Compton knew exactly where I was.

I clenched my fists so hard under the table I thought I was going to draw blood. I had to decide what to do. There was many things that could happen. I could cause a scene in front of everyone, say nothing or leave. So I did the only thing I could do because if I didn't I fight him. I placed my hand on Sookies leg forcing her to look at me. "Stackhouse, I've gotta go." I said through gritted teeth as I stood up and walked towards her door, her following behind me.

"What, why?" She followed me out to her porch. "What happened?"

"I tried but I can't handle that fucking prick." I was trying to control my anger but it came out as a shout. Bill had joined us leaning against the door frame.

"What did he do?" She seemed genuinely confused.

"He knew exactly were I was when that play was being rehearsed day after day. Everyone knew where I was." I wanted to punch something. I wanted to punch him.

"Where were you?" Then her eyes got wide. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh, he knew I was excused from the play to go to the hospital every afternoon." I put my hands into my hair. "He asked me so it would piss me off and I would freak out and I would do exactly what I'm doing right now." I trailed off. I sighed in frustration, annoyance and defeat. Fuck.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Eric. I'm sorry if you thought that information was common knowledge but I had no idea. I didn't really run in your circle of friends. I'm still trying to get to know you all." He sounded sincere but that was because Sookie could only hear him. She couldn't see him as she walked up to me and placed her hands on my chest in an attempt to try to calm me. Bill was looking at me and slowly a smile stretched across his lips. It was the smile of a snake, the smile of a satisfied asshole who had played me and won. I ruined the party, not him.

Music started pumping out of the house that caused Sookie to look behind her and made Bill's smile disappear like his muscles didn't know how to make a smirk so sinister.

"Eric, I think you are letting your hatred for him get the best of you. You are hearing and seeing what you want to make your feelings true." She reasoned.

"Sookie you are too good for this, you're too good for him." I pointed in his direction.

She signed and shook her head. "Eric I don't want to talk about this right now. Maybe it's best if you stayed out here for a couple of minutes and cooled off. Do you need to leave?" I looked down at her as she looked up at me. She was sad. She wanted this to work and it didn't, she was sad because I had been triggered in one way or another and she was sad because I was bad mouthing Bill again.

She was falling in love with him. I was sure of it.

She stood on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around my neck hugging me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her back. Instead of looking at Bill to make him jealous, I put my face in the crook of her neck and breathed her in. Grapefruit and lavender.

"I'm sorry I made you do this." She whispered.

"It's okay." I said breaking apart from her.

"Do you need a couple of minutes?" She asked me again.

I nodded heading towards one of her deck chairs. "Take all the time you need." Bill said wrapping his arm around Sookie's shoulders. This wasn't a romantic gesture, it was possessive.

I shook my head in frustration. This was a whole other level for Bill, he used me mother against me. This was just plain evil.

How could she not see it? I thought maybe he had changed, I hadn't spoken to Bill really since we left high school but he hadn't. He had just perfected the art of deceit, he still took joy in the suffering of others, being better than everyone else, wanting to have more than everyone else only he had become better at it. It was never this hard to make him squirm before, to fuck him over, to take what he wanted away from him.

I didn't want Sookie with him. I knew it wasn't my choice but I couldn't stand the idea of her getting hurt and he would hurt her. It couldn't be me either because I would hurt as well. I did not do relationships but the thought of her with someone else made my chest tighten and my fists clench. I was jealous and the feeling was so foreign it scared me.

LaFayette came strutting out of the house and sat down beside me. "We's inside drinking premium Stackhouse liquor and we need you to join us."

"I need a minute."

"You're Eric Northman, fuck Bill Compton and come and drink with your friends. Sookie has made her choice and she gots to live with it." He took a drink of tequila right out of the bottle and handed it to me.

"He doesn't deserve her." I mumbled.

LaFayette said nothing for some time and finally made a noise of shock and laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"What?" I asked.

"You got a mother fuckin' crush in Sookie Stackhouse."

My whole body stiffened. "What? No I don't."

"I've seen plenty of crushes in my day, had a few of them too and what you're doing right now is what people who are crushing do." He made a sweeping with his hand at me.

"I don't crush." I brushed off his comment taking a sip of the tequila.

"Mmm-hmm." He said not convinced, always not convinced. "You can live in this cloud of self denial but at least do it inside. We're having a dance party." He raised an eyebrow.

I looked at him for a few seconds before nodded. "I need a minute more." I said grabbing his shoulder. "Thanks LaFayette."

"You're a God amongst men Eric, don't let the ants bother your fine ass." He reached down to grab the tequila.

"Leave it." I said grabbing the bottle before he could reach it.

He stood with a less than amused look on his face. "Fine but you owe me a dance when you get inside."

"Always." I grinned at him taking a sip of the tequila.

My chest was tightening again, my hands were shaking and I wanted to punch Bill in his stupid face. My best bet was to put myself back in the game, to not back down, to show him that I wasn't going anywhere.

I took one last swig of the tequila and went inside the house. LaFayette had turned the dinner party into an actual party, LaFayette had that power and everyone was dancing in the living room. Sookie was at the far end trying to pull Bill off the couch, trying to convince him to dance with her. When she realized he wasn't getting up she abandoned him and headed for everyone else.

She spotted me and headed straight towards me with a huge smile. She took the bottle from my hand and pulled me to where everyone else was dancing. "I'm sorry if you took what he said the wrong way," she said moving my hands back and forth causing my body to sway. "I understand it's not easy for you, its not easy for him either." I highly doubted that.

"It's fine," I lied, "I'm sorry I ruined your dinner party." I pulled her closer to me so that our bodies were flush.

She smiled warmly as she looked up at me, her hands gripping my arms. "You didn't ruin anything." She looked at me for a few more moments before the song changed and Sookie bounced away from me to go dance with Tara.

I stood there awkwardly as I looked up at Bill who was watching me with that fucking grin on his face. I realized that I hated him so much now because the tightening in my chest every time Sookie brushed past me or laughed or looked at me was exactly what LaFayette said it was.

I had a crush on Sookie Stackhouse and it scared me to death.

* * *

**What did you all think? **

**I think this is an important chapter. Eric has realized how he feels and Bill has shown some of his true colours. **

**I****'****m so excited for the next chapter. I****'****ve almost finished writing it and I love it. **

**I****'****m 17 reviews away from 100. I wonder if I can make it there with this chapter. Reviews are appreciated and I love knowing what you think good or bad. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You

**A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews of the last chapter. suzyq59, MelodiusNocturn, TBfanenbc, 34ken, DillyRox, ericplenty, BlueMonday2387, MelodyAnderson, outinritefield1, Ambs, ap630, heyayemae, kelly and guest thank you. Thank you to all of the follows and favourites too. **

**Ashler55, I hope you can read this before school gets way too crazy for you. **

**I edited this myself again. I just always like to warn you. **

**I really hope you all love this chapter.**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

My Wednesday night shift was intense. It was the busiest I had ever seen it and it was more than Arlene and I could handle. Exhausted, I collapsed into one of the seats and looked up at Tara after the bar had closed. "What the fuck was that?"

"I don't know but Sam needs to higher another waitress." She said cleaning the bar like a mad woman.

I nodded in agreement trying to catch my breath. I pulled out my phone to see if anyone had texted me. There was nothing.

"What are you doing?" Tara chided me.

"What?"

"Clean woman clean!" Tara shouted. "I want to go home!"

I rolled my eyes and groaned as I got up to do my job. We managed, by some miracle, to get out by 1:45.

Tara strolled out of the bar looking at her phone. "Heads up Sook, Jason is throwing one of his parties again." She looked at me sympathetically.

I sighed not wanting to go home at all anymore. Bill had to take his Nana out for breakfast the next morning so he was staying at his place tonight. I didn't want to socialize with anyone else, I just wanted to go home and watch movies until I passed out. "Thanks for letting me know Tara, are you coming over?"

Tara shook her head. "Pam and I are trying to catch up on _Game of Thrones_, so I'm going home, getting in my P.J's and spending some time with my beautiful girlfriend." She smiled widely.

"Argh, I'm so jealous of you right now." I said throwing my arms around her.

She laughed. "I'll see you around." She waved at me as he headed towards her car.

I waved back and drove home. I walked around the side of the house and went in through the garage. I managed to get up the back staircase without being seen by too many people and into my room without being stopped.

The music was so loud it was shaking the floor as I collapsed onto my bed wishing I was one of those people who could fall asleep like a regular person. Instead I selected a handful of blu-rays, put them on my dresser and went into the bathroom to take a shower hoping to wash the night off of me.

I went into my closet and slipped into a white bra, some comfy sheer lace undies and started looking for a pair of yoga pants.

I heard a thump behind me and the confident voice I had become so accustomed too. "Nice ass Stackhouse."

I turned quickly to see Eric standing just inside my room in front of my bay doors. He was wearing his light wash jeans that hung off his hips and a white t-shirt as he grinned at me. "Eric get out! Turn around!" I exclaimed as I tried to cover myself with the yoga pants I had in my hands.

"Why are you freaking out? I see you in a bikini almost daily." His tone implied that I was making a big deal out of nothing as he kicked off his shoes.

"Yeah but these are intimates." I said quietly as I put the yoga pants on.

"I didn't think you were a lacy girl though." He smirked as he started examining my room.

I rolled my eyes. "What are you doing up here anyway?" I asked annoyed, I felt exposed and it was making me angry. I put on the first tank top I could find. "No lady in your bed tonight?" I asked with a tone that was harsher than expected.

"They are all at your house." He said pointing to the floor reminding me of the thumping bass below our feet. "I came over here to find one." He returned my tone.

My eyes widened and I scoffed, looking away from him. "If you think you are getting _that_ from me you are sorely mistaken." I grabbed an elastic and threw my hair up on a ponytail as I shook my head.

He sighed in frustration. "I thought we were beyond that Stackhouse! Can't a guy crawl through a girls window and not want sex? Jesus, you jump to conclusions faster than those girls on _Pretty Little Liars_."

"_Pretty Little Liars_?" I said jumping onto my bed.

"Believe it or not the infinity that is Netflix is in fact finite and it ends for me with _Pretty Little Liars_." He came and sat on the corner of my bed. "And those girls are hot."

"Obviously." I rolled my eyes leaning against the head rest, snuggling into my pillows.

"So Jason's having another party?" He widened his eyes exasperated. "Some men just never grow up do they?"

I laughed.

"What?"

"Would you prefer to be the pot or the kettle?" I asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said innocently.

I smiled. "Why didn't you just use the front door?" I questioned pointing to the bay doors.

He shrugged. "I thought it would look suspicious if the best looking guy in town walked up the stairs into your room when everyone knows your actually boyfriend is sleeping in his own bed next door." He cocked an eyebrow.

"Your lack of modest astounds me every time we're together." The corner of my mouth pulling up into a grin. "You're free to leave if you'd like. There are plenty of girls downstairs if you're looking for a good time."

"What are you gonna do tonight?" He asked me turning himself around so he was sitting cross legged on the bed.

"Well, I was thinking of getting a couple of beers and watching a bunch of movies till I can't stay awake anymore. The usual. It's not as exciting as the party downstairs but that's my night." I said shifting off the bed heading to the door.

"You think you can grab me a few beers?" I turned back to look at him as he made his way up to lie against the pillows.

"No Tiffany's or Desiree's or Jeanette's tonight?" I smiled excited by the change in plans. Spending the night with Eric was not a bad way to spend a night at all.

"Naw, tonight I'll be staying here with you."

"Easy there, Dylan." I laughed before I opened the door.

"I'll put something on." He said getting up heading to where I kept all my movies.

I didn't run into anyone I knew well enough to have a conversation with as I grabbed and arm full of beers, a bunch of snacks and ran upstairs.

He was standing by my dresser holding a picture frame. "Stackhouse, is this you with June Carter and Johnny Cash?" He asked in disbelief.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Johnny recorded an album with Sonnet in the late 80's and they came to a party my dad threw. They were nice enough to take a photo. I'm eleven there."

"Awe, baby Stackhouse." He smiled. "That's amazing. I'm jealous of you. I'm almost never jealous."

I smiled. "It is one of the perks of being Corbett Stackhouse's daughter." I sighed and changed the topic. "What movie have you chosen?" I asked as we both headed for the bed.

"I have put on the best movie ever." Eric said arranging the pillows behind him and taking a beer from me. "I can't believe you had it."

_The Expendables_ title flashed on the screen, which I didn't know I had and Eric looked at me with the most excited smile on his face. "Really? _The Expendables_?" I asked him opening my beer and placing a bag of chips between us.

"This is the male equivalent of _He__'__s Just Not That Into You_. It's shit but very entertaining. Now drink your beer and make fun of it with me." He said putting a hand full of chips into his mouth.

That's what we did, we watched this unbelievably silly movie and made fun of it the entirety of the film. "That was actually way more enjoyable than I thought it would be." I said stretching once it was over.

"You need to learn to trust me more." He smiled warmly as his mood shifted. "My mom and me used to do that."

"Do what?" I asked with a furrow brow.

"We used to to watch movies purely to make fun of them. It would keep her laughing and keep me awake."

"What was she like, your mother?" I asked turning towards him.

"She was smart, she read a lot, all kinds of things. She was funny but she had a temper on her. She took shit from no one. She didn't hold grudges and she was caring. She thought about others before she thought about herself." His smile became sad and I touched his arm.

"If you don't want to talk about her anymore, I understand."

Eric shook his head. "The night she died she started crying, not because she was afraid of dying but because she knew she wouldn't be able to hold on one more day." He sighed as I looked at him with confusion. "My mother died on August 9th and she wanted to hold on one more day because my father died on August 10th four years before. She wanted to make sure I was only sad one day of the year but she knew she couldn't and she was apologizing to me, she was fucking dying and she was sorry." His breath hitched slightly, not like he was crying but more like he had a lump in his throat.

I clenched my jaw as I felt a lump in my throat. "Your parents died a day apart?" I asked. He looked so sad again, he always looked sad when he was with me and I hated it. I just wanted him to smile.

He nodded.

"Okay so let me get this straight," his brow crinkled in confusion, "you're super good looking, super rich, have a reputation as a ladies man and your parents died when you were young?" He stared at me like I was insane as I paused dramatically and pointed at him. "Are you Batman?"

He started laughing immediately, lying down on the bed as he giggled, his laugh lines creasing around his eyes. "No, I wish I was Batman." He kept laughing as he sat up and looked at me, one of his hairs falling out of place, the tip skimming his brow. "You never really talk about your parents." He said as he got his laughter under control.

"There's nothing to talk about. I've spent about twenty minutes of my whole life alone with my mother and my father did the best he could but business always came first." I sighed wishing he would change the subject.

"You don't have one fond memory?" He looked confused, like he couldn't understand how I had no connection with my parents.

"My dad took me ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza when I was eight. Jason wasn't there, it was just us and it was the first time I had really felt cold like that. He bought me hot chocolate and taught me how to skate." I smiled. "The next day he left for Memphis and I was left for Nashville. He was in Memphis for three months before I saw him again and that's been my whole life. All I know is my mother is selfish and a drunk and my father is passionate, headstrong and he wants to show his love but he isn't always successful." I couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe that's why Bill and I were drawn to each other instantly. Our family life is the same." I looked up at him as he looked back at me like he was studying me before his eyes darted towards the TV and he smiled.

"I am fascinated with this informercial." He said changing the subject moving down to the bottom of the bed lying on his stomach.

I looked at the TV as some woman demonstrated the powers for some hair powder that makes it look like bald men still had hair. "Why do you love this one?" I asked finding relief in the change in conversation.

"Look how happy these men are. Look at the hope in their eyes. Even though they are actors you know they are going to buy this shit they second their pay check comes in. They all want to get laid so bad." He sounded like he truly appreciated the craftsmanship of the commercial.

"You really love informercials, huh?" I asked moving towards the edge of the bed.

"I'm obsessed with them. They don't require too much attention, I know exactly what I'm gonna get, they don't take up too much of my time and I can make up and project whatever personality I want onto the characters."

"So you feel about informercials they way you feel about women." I looked at him expectantly.

His eyes darted away from mine and he grinned. "Yeah a little." He laughed from his belly. "I'm a total asshole aren't I?"

I walked over to my dresser, picked up two movies from my pile and looked at him. "Yeah but that's why I love you Northman." I smiled and looked at the movies. "Which one do you want to watch _Toy Story 2 _or _Zombieland_?" I held out the two movies in front of me.

"_Toy Story 2_." He said taking off his pants.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked him.

"I'm taking off my pants because they are really uncomfortable." He flopped down on the bed again.

"Why are you wearing them then?" I asked him walking over to the bed after I put on the movie and let my hair down.

"You're a girl, you know beauty is pain and all that shit." He laughed and looked towards the TV.

"LaFayette has taught you well." I grinned, sitting beside him.

"It's the only reason I keep him around." He looked over at me with a curious look on his face. "Can I ask you something?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Sure."

**ERIC**

"Have you ever bought anything off an infomercial? Middle of the night in a sleep deprived stupor?" I looked up at her as her hair fell around her, framing her face perfectly.

"I'm pretty good at not buying things, I have a lot of self control." She bit her bottom lip and tried not to smile.

"But," I nudged her with my elbow.

"But I did buy a replica of Kate Middleton's engagement ring."

"Seriously?" I sat up so our face were even.

She nodded furiously with an embarrassed smile of her face.

"Where is it? Can I see it?" I started looking around her room where she may have kept it.

"It's in Nashville. I've never worn it in public. I did wear it once in front of my bathroom mirror and put on a terrible fake British accent. I've wanted to marry Prince William since I was ten." She looked at me from the corner of her eye. "What about you? Have you ever bought anything?"

"I buy all of the kitchen appliances and tools and things and I have no idea why." I flopped back down on the bed and grabbed my hair.

She started laughing. "Do you have the Slap Chop?"

I nodded.

"Do you have a Magic Bullet?"

"I have eight Magic Bullets, I buy one every time I see the infomercial, why?" I looked at her like she could give me an answer. "I have a blender, why the fuck do I need eight Magic Bullets?" I started laughing, it was a belly laugh and I realized it was the first time since LaFayette and Pam I was completely comfortable with someone I wasn't related to.

"What do you do with all these Magic Bullets?" She asked as she ran her hands through her hair that was finally dry.

"Nothing. They sit in my garage and do nothing." I laid back down.

"Why do you buy them?" She asked like I was crazy.

"I'm incredibly lonely and extremely unhappy." I said making it sound like a joke but really it wasn't. "I do what I can to make myself a little less lonely and a little less unhappy and apparently buying kitchen products is my drug." I rubbed my face realizing I had never told anyone this. I suppose I had never really thought that the kitchen products were the effect of me being lonely.

I hadn't bought anything since Sookie came into my life.

"If you are so lonely why do you work so hard to be that way?" She asked curiously.

I was trying to find a way to explain this to her that would make sense. "When you started dating Bill, how did you feel?"

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The idea of dating Bill, actually dating Bill, how did it make you feel?" I said sitting up looking at her.

"Excited, I guess." She still seemed confused.

"And?"

"Beautiful, hopeful, giddy." She smiled.

"I feel those things but it's always trumped by fear. When you are hopeful of your future all I can see is the end. I know myself and I am not the type to love a little, I love a lot and when that person I love goes away I would not be able to handle that kind of rejection. So I just avoid it."

"Why are you so sure someone would leave you?" She seemed dumbfounded at my sureness.

"Because I am a lot of show and not much substance, I know anyone I would try to date would grow bored of me fast and leave. So I don't try. I know it's cowardly but I'm doing what's best for me."

"Have you ever even wanted someone in that way, someone you wanted to date?"

I swallowed hard. "Um, yeah there was this one girl."

You. The girl I want is you.

Sookie smiled. "And when you looked at her what did you feel?"

I finally made direct eye contact with her for the first time since we started talking about this. "She made me feel nervous, giddy, excited, she made we want to be better than I was, like I could do anything if she was with me." I exhaled. "But every time I thought of actually being with her my chest would tighten and I felt like I couldn't breath, my fear would weigh me down and I couldn't move. She would see me for what I really am and leave."

"What are you really?"

"A fuck-up. A low-life bartender with some money I didn't earn and a high school education. I have no experience. I was given everything and I do nothing. I don't travel, I don't try to make something of myself, I don't further my education. I take myself so seriously that I never put myself out there. I'm just blah."

"You are a lot of things Eric but blah is not one of them."

"I think you are confusing my looks and my personality."

"I am perfectly capable of deciding how and what I feel about you." She snapped.

"And how do you feel about me?"

She smiled, looking away from me while she bit her lower lip. "I think you're wonderful Eric. Cocky as fuck but wonderful. I think you're just a late bloomer is all. I think the right kind of something will come along and you'll have a life you never dreamed of having." She looked over at me with her smile still on her face, that fucking smile that I was talking about, that smile that made me feel invincible.

I turned away and watched the movie pretending like what she said had no effect on me. "Maybe you're right."

"I'm never wrong." She said smugly.

"Your lack of modest astounds me every time we are together Stackhouse." I put my arm around her and she rested her head against my chest. I hoped she couldn't hear the pounding of my heart.

We watched the rest of the movie in silence.

~x~x~x~x~

I woke up to the smell of grapefruit and a sea of gold. The light reflected in her hair blinded me and it took me a few moments to realize where I was. Her bedroom.

I couldn't remember falling asleep, I remember talking, laughing, _Toy Story 2 _and then nothingness. I had no dreams, I slept soundly and without interruption.

I looked at the clock, it was three in the afternoon, we had to have been sleeping for at least ten hours. I hadn't slept for more than five hours at a time in over a decade.

I looked down at Sookie, still asleep, slowly breathing in and out. She looked smaller than she ever had, pushed up against me, my front to her back and I reached out to brush a strand of her hair away from her face. For a fleeting moment I felt contentment and then a familiar feeling came over me, fear. My stomach felt like it was in my throat or vice versa, my chest tightened and I moved away from her like she was red hot, scalding everywhere we touched.

I pushed away from her not realizing the edge of the bed was so near, tumbling to the floor. I sat up and looked at her as she moaned and turned over so she was facing me. She didn't wake up.

I rubbed my face with one of my hands, clearing the sleep out of my eyes and touched my chest. I was shirtless. When the fuck did I take my shirt off? Was I so used to not having one on I didn't even realize when it was gone? I stood and scanned the floor for my shirt, locating it and putting it back on. I put on my pants, slipped on my shoes and went to her bay door opening it as quietly as possible.

Regardless of all my efforts it still woke her up, "Eric?" she said groggily.

"Bye Stackhouse." I shouted as I threw my leg over the balcony and found my footing on the lattice I had climbed the night before.

"What are you doing?" She sounded so confused. She came out on her balcony rubbing her eyes.

"I have work later so I've got to go." I said scaling the side of the house quickly.

"Just use the front door." She was leaning over the railing giving me a 'what the fuck' face. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm starting to think I might be." I mumbled before I looked up at her. "I like climbing, it's good for me." I said as cheerfully as possible.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you having some sort of stroke?" She sounded angry with me. "At least let me make you something to eat, a cup of coffee?"

"Naw, I've got work and Toby - holy shit the dog!" I exclaimed as I lost my footing and fell the five remaining feet to the ground landing flat on my back. I had totally forgot about Toby. I had only had him two weeks and I was prone to forgetting about him, I still wasn't used to being responsible for something.

"Eric! Oh my God! Are you okay?" she shouted, worry straining her voice.

I pushed myself up of the ground as I moaned in pain. "Yep, I'm fine." I was not fine, falling five feet hurt but I was too freaked out by our sleep over to show it. I stood too fast and my body screamed but I smiled through it. "I'll see you later." I said walking away from her place.

"Eric!" She yelled at me with disappointment and annoyance in her voice and I just waved her off, not stopping.

I had fallen asleep with another person, with Sookie. I hadn't fallen asleep with anyone beside me in ten years. It was a rule I did not break, ever. I hadn't slept in the same bed as LaFayette, as Pam, no one. I would always take the couch, the floor, the cot but never the bed, not if someone was in it. Sleeping with someone was intimate, it was the only time you truly let your guard down and my guard was always up.

The last person I slept beside was my mother.

I walked quickly and thought about the night before. My sleep was disturbed, it was flooding back to me in waves now, my head had been so clouded from all the sleep. I did wake up once to remove my shirt and then I reached out for her and pulled her towards me. _I_ pulled her, _I_ wanted her near me, _I_ broke my rule, _my_ body betrayed me, _my_ guard was down.

My heart was racing and I was having a full blown panic attack by the time I reached my house. I did not know how to deal with the things I was feeling purely because I had never felt them before. Not like this.

Toby came running out the house when I opened the door and took off for the woods as I ran behind him fighting through the pain, anything to make me think about something else other than her.

I didn't want this to happen, this wasn't a party of the plan, crushes were something I had no experience with. Is this what everyone felt when they had a crush? A constant tightening of the chest, self-doubt, a need and a want so bad it effected you physically and mentally? Why would anyone subject themselves to this? I suppose a hope that the other felt the same but I knew it was all pointless. Even if she did want me I could never be what she wanted, I couldn't be the boyfriend, I just couldn't. The fear was taking hold of me so bad I stopped dead in my tracks as Toby came up to me licking my hand.

I had to put everything on hold. It meant losing her, Bill would swoop in and fill in all the time I couldn't and she would fall in love and then she would leave and they would be together. That was her choice, LaFayette was right, she had made her choice and she would deal with it because I needed to think about myself. "I think I need some time away from Sookie Stackhouse." I said out loud, the words making me angry even saying them, thinking that Bill would fill the time that I should belong to me but if I kept spending time with her then I would, then I would…. I could crush but I would not do that, so time away from her it was.

Toby whined.

**SOOKIE**

I watched him walk stiffly towards his house as I sat out on the small folding chair I had put out on my balcony. He went into his house and emerged a few moments later with an excited Toby who ran towards the forest immediately, Eric following behind.

The afternoon sun was hot and was already making me sweat profusely. I stood and went into my bathroom to take a shower.

The truth was I felt amazing. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept like that. How deep and sound my sleep was, I couldn't remember the last time I had opened my eyes and hadn't felt tired. I had never slept well with anyone before, I slept a little more soundly than usual with Alcide but not quite the same as when I slept beside Eric.

Even though I felt amazing I also felt an undercurrent of worry because my feelings for Eric were no longer strictly platonic.

I had a crush on Eric Northman.

Nothing good could come from this. The self proclaimed bachelor. The man so afraid of rejection he never wanted to try, the man that had never been in a relationship, the man who would never want me for anything more than a one night stand.

Crushes were the worst. They seemed harmless. Like a tiny cut that itches just a little. You think there's nothing wrong with scratching it. It only bothers you every once in awhile, what will a little scratch here and there do? Then the cut grows and demands more of your attention until it's out of control. Nothing can make it die down, ease the itch, clear it up until it drives you into madness.

And I had seven weeks of madness left.

"I think I need to spend some time away from Eric Northman." I said as I stepped out of the shower.

Thank God Bill would be around to distract me.

* * *

**So what did everyone think? **

**Eric and Sookie are going to be frustrating as fuck for the next couple of chapters. **

**I****'****ve been trying to post a chapter once a week but the next one might take a little longer. It****'****s TIFF time in my home and native land and I will be rather distracted this week. I****'****ll try my best though. **

**Reviews are my life blood. Please review!**

**Thanks for reading. **


	11. Goodbye

**A/N: ashmo2000, Jennie, Kerryn, Rachel, Katherine, Kate, outinritefield1, BlueMonday2387, kelly, ap630, 34ken, MelodyAnderson, ericplenty, RKandee13 and guest for reviewing my last chapter. I really appreciate it. **

**Ashler55 I hope you love this chapter and it makes going to school with those idiots easier. **

**I edited this chapter myself so I****'****m sorry if there are any mistakes. There probably is. **

**I hope you all like it.**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

"How long have you know about this?" I asked Bill as I sat on his bed. His room was very modern in comparison to the rest of his home, sleek black, white and grey colours with a forest green accent but still cluttered with dressers, night stands and antiques.

"A couple of days." He said as he threw a bunch of socks into his suitcase.

"And you just failed to tell me or did you get amnesia?" I was so angry with him. I hated surprises, I hated when things were sprung on me. I didn't handle it very well whether it was good or bad.

"I just didn't want to upset you." He said waking into his bathroom and packing his toiletries.

"Well I'm upset so clearly you did a shitty job." We looked at each other in silence before I spoke again. "How many days?"

"Three tops." He said sitting down beside me.

I sighed and shook my head. "Please don't bullshit me Bill. I'm the daughter of a businessman. When we arrived in Bon Temps my father told me that he was going to Nashville for two days, that was ten weeks ago." I grabbed his hand.

He sighed. "Two weeks tops. I'll be back in time for Holly's wedding. I promise."

"I really need you here Bill." I really did. I had managed to steer clear of Eric for five whole days, which was impressive considering we worked together and lived a hundred yards apart.

"Believe me, I don't want to go but I must. I will be back here the moment I can, the moment they don't need me and we'll spend every moment together when I get back. No work." He kissed me.

"Bill this is such a critical stage in our relationship and I think if you left right now," I shook my head knowing I couldn't tell him why I didn't want him to leave. "I need you here." I said kissing him again.

"We'll Skype and text and talk all the time. The two weeks will fly by." He kissed me one last time before he got up to go finish packing. I wanted him to stay for purely selfish reasons. If there was no Eric, there would be no problem, I'd just hang out with Tara and LaFayette and wait for Bill to come home. The matter of fact was there was an Eric and even though I hadn't seen him at all in the past week I could feel his presence everywhere.

I wasn't suffering from madness like I expected. Instead of enduring I had amputated, I had cut the infection off and now I was suffering from phantom limb syndrome. I would pick up my phone, type out a message to Eric and realize that I couldn't send it right before I would hit send.

I missed my friend. I missed his cockiness, I missed his humour, I missed going to work and seeing him there, I even missed his sadness. I hated it and I knew with Bill gone I would crack, I would text him and bad things would happen.

"Do you need a ride to the airport?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "I have a car picking me up." He looked around his room deciding if he needed to bring anything else.

I stood and walked up to him wrapping my arms around his neck, leaning in and planting a kiss there. "Are you sure there is nothing I can do to convince you to stay?" I said as I took his ear lobe in between my teeth.

He moaned and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Sookie, I would love nothing more than to stay here with you but this account is huge and I need to take care of it in New York, I need to." He kissed me and picked up his bag.

I followed him down the stairs and outside as he placed his suitcase on the porch. "Hang out with your friends, have a good time and you won't even notice I'm gone." He smiled as the car pulled up.

"I highly doubt that." I mumbled as he walked towards the car and I followed.

"I'll text you the minute I land." He brushed the hair out of my face. "I love you."

All the air rushed out of my lungs and I stared at him with my mouth open as I tried to think of something to say. I didn't love him. I liked him a lot, he was funny, kind and had a bright future ahead of him. I just wasn't sure he was _the_ guy. If I could make it through till he came back then maybe I would start thinking about love.

He smiled and kissed me. "Don't say it till you're ready. I'll see you when I get back."

He got into the car and drove away as I sighed, rubbing my forehead with my hand. I stood there for a few moments looking at the place where his car had disappeared.

"You must be happy." Jessica said slinking past me in work-out attire. "Now you can slum it with the orphan without anyone breathing down your neck."

I gave her heavy side eye as she started to stretch. "Shouldn't you be out drowning puppies or sucking the souls out of young men?" I asked her with my hands on my hips.

"I got that out of the way in the morning." She threw a bitch smile my way.

"So you're ahead of schedule then?" I gave her the same smile back.

She breathed in deep and widened her eyes. "I need to get my run in." She said smoothing out her lips gloss with her middle finger. "Later Stackhouse." She winked at me as she ran in into the forest.

I was so happy my exchange with her was brief. "The worst." I muttered to myself as I walked back over to my house.

I had been keeping myself occupied with Bill the past couple of days and now I had no idea what to do. I had finished all my TV shows, Jason hadn't been home in days and I knew that Tara had school most days and work at night.

Two weeks. Two weeks trying to avoid Eric fucking Northman.

I walked upstairs to my room and grabbed the Magic 8 ball off my dresser my father had bought me years ago when we actually lived in Bon Temps. "Can I avoid Eric for two weeks?" I asked it as I shook it and turned it over reading my response, _Outlook not so good_.

I sighed putting it back on my dresser. "Terrific."

I grabbed my phone and collapsed on my bed as I read the one text message I had from Tara.

**Pam wants to do a girls night tonight. Sleepover, 90****'****s teen comedies, wine. You in? - T**

I smiled at the exact distraction I needed. It was a Friday night too, one of the few I got off and spending it in a place I knew Eric wouldn't be was optimal. **I****'****m in. - S**

I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house and packing an overnight bag. It would be nice to have some girl time. I felt like I had only been hanging out with guys since I arrived in Bon Temps.

I pulled up in front of Pam's townhouse around 8 p.m. The townhouses were a new development and it showed wealth in Bon Temps. Not wealth like mine and Eric's but wealth none the less. I got out of the car, grabbed my bag and rang the doorbell once at the door.

Pam answered in baby pink silk pyjamas, they were very Pam."Hi Sookie you look nice." She purred as she looked me up and down with a pleased as punch smile on her face.

I knew something was up because I did not look nice. My hair was in a messy bun, I was wearing ripped oversized jeans and a plain burgundy t-shirt. I eyed her suspiciously. "What did you do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Her smile went from a devious one to one of a hostess. "Ready to break out your PJ's and talk about what boys you like and all that shit?" She said with too much spunk in her voice as she tilted her head to one side.

I nodded. "Yeah, I brought cookie dough and three bottles of wine."

"I knew you were good for something. Come on in." She said ushering me into her beautifully decorated home. Contemporary style was the only way to describe it. I walked into her kitchen and placed all the goodies I had brought on the counter.

I walked into the living room to find Tara and LaFayette sitting on a bunch of mattresses that covered the floor. "Holy shit, this really is like a good old fashion sleepover." I said wading over all the blankets to sit down.

They both greeted me happily as I asked what they were doing. "We's playing truth or dare." LaFayette said in cheetah patterned pyjama bottoms.

I smiled. "I love that game."

LaFayette smiled and cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Alright, Truth or Dare."

"Truth."

"Have you slept with Eric Northman?"

Well that was a loaded question. Technically I had slept with him but but not in the sense that LaFayette meant. "No." I said confidently.

"Mmm-hmm." LaFayette said looking at me skeptically.

Pam stormed into the room with wine glasses and what looked like a bowl of skittles or possibly M&M's cutting our game short. "Go change into your pyjamas Sookie and come on out. We are about to watch some generic 90's teen movie that probably has Freddie Prinze Jr. in it." Pam said placing everything on the coffee table and walking over to sit with Tara.

I gathered my things and when into the washroom to change, brush my hair and wash my face.

When I came back the movie had already started and we settled in to watch _She__'__s All That_. Tara and I reminisced about all the times we watched it when we were kids as we all got a little tipsy on wine and this fruity drink that LaFayette had made.

Once the movie was over LaFayette nudged my leg. "Come on Goldilocks, I need your help making a new batch of drinks." He stood, holding out his hand and helping me up.

We walked into the kitchen and he took some watermelon and strawberries out of the fridge. "I need you to cut these up." He said placing them in front of me.

"Any particular way?" I asked.

"Small enough to be blended." He said looking through Pam's liquor cabinet.

"Chunks it is." I said as I found a knife in the drawer and got to work. Since we were alone I took the time to ask him something I had been wanting to for some time. "LaFayette?" I said quietly.

He turned and looked at me with concern. "Yeah baby girl?"

"Why don't you hate Bill?"

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"Eric and Bill both told me what he did to you and I can't understand why you don't hate him. Or at the very least try to avoid him at all costs. You seem so civil towards him." I continued to cut the fruit.

"Did Bill tell you what you he did? Him and his dumb redneck friends."

"Yeah, him and his friends beat you up." I said shrugging popping a piece of strawberry into my mouth.

He laughed. "That's one way of putting it." He sighed and poured a bunch of rum into the blender. "They broke my arm, three of my ribs, cracked my two front teeth and fractured my collarbone and jaw. His friends did most of the breaking but he was the idea man." I watched his jaw clench as his put the bottle down and walked towards me.

My body had gone tingly, like it weighed a ton. I knew being beat up wasn't fun but I never suspected what he had done was that bad. "Why would he do that?" I asked in disbelief.

"I don't know if you know this about me Sookie but I'm a gay black man living in the south. Rich Catholic white folks tend not to like what I'm selling." Flipped his head as if he had long hair and took the cutting board from me dumping all the fruit into the blender.

I laughed through my nose. "No I mean, why? Why would he do that?"

LaFayette shrugged. "I think people are always looking for a reason for things, why would someone hurt another person the way he did? I don't think it was peer pressure or insecurity or fear, he could be racist or homophobic but I don't think that's it either." LaFayette shook his head. "I think some people just have so much hate in them that they need to fuel it with suffering like normal people need happiness." He poured everything from the blender into the pitcher as the doorbell rang.

"Why don't _you_ hate him though?" I still asked confused.

"I've got so much hate coming my way that if I held onto all of it I wouldn't be able to live a life worth living." He came up to me and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "We was all kids and kids do stupid shit. So I forgive and I let go because I have to."

"But you didn't tell Eric he paid for your hospital bills. You let Eric continue to hate him."

"Eric carries my hate for me." He smiled. "Just because I've let my hate go doesn't mean I don't get a kick out of watching your boy toy struggle." A confused look swept his face. "Why you asking me all this? You looking for a reason to hate Bill?"

I laughed. "No. I think I just want to understand him better."

LaFayette grabbed my face and looked at me like he was seeing something I couldn't. "I think you're trying to decide if you _want _to understand him better." He picked up the pitcher and another glass. "Come on." He nodded in the direction of living room.

I could hear Pam laughing as I came around the corner and I locked eyes with Eric who was shirtless and in those damn blue velour track pants. "Stackhouse?" He said surprised looking down at Pam. "I thought you said she couldn't make it?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I thought you said this was a girls night." I said looking at Pam as well, trying not to look at him. It wasn't right that I didn't want to look at him. Nothing happened, there was nothing to be embarrassed about, to want to avoid him for but I found it difficult to look at him and not blush.

Pam's devious smile returned as she looked at Eric. "Apparently Sookie's schedule cleared up and," Pam looked over at me, "Eric is a girl at heart, he just had the misfortune of being born with a penis." She sighed happily. "So now that you're both here lets just have some slumber party fun."

I walked over the mattresses and plopped down on the couch and Eric took the space beside me. I felt my body ease instantly at his proximity. LaFayette handed us both one the drinks and I was happy I was starting to feel the alcohol, I welcomed it as it seemed to curb the enormous amounts of awkwardness I was feeling. I felt like everyone was looking at Eric and I like they knew something scandalous. I knew all of them thought we were having an affair, even Tara. I could see it in their eyes and they weren't disgusted in me, they were encouraging it. They wanted this affair to happen and the thing that scared me the most is that deep down, I wanted it to happen too.

**ERIC**

I felt like I had been punched in the chest the moment she walked into the room. I was doing a good job avoiding her. I had switched my schedule, changed my workout routine and stayed inside a lot more. I just needed to be away from her to clear my head, to essentially get over her. I thought I was doing a good job but it's true what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

She had never looked more beautiful. Her wide eyes were looking into mine, her long blond hair curling slightly at the ends, the way her tank top clung to her chest and the bottoms that hung off her hips. I wanted her to touch her, I wanted her in my arms. My brain, my body, everything was betraying me and I realized this wasn't going to go away. I was going to get hurt, I just had to let everything play out and in the end it was going to suck.

I could smell grapefruit and lavender when I sat down beside her and my body instantly relaxed in her presence. I took a sip of the drink surprised at how good it tasted. "This is good LaFayette." I said taking another drink.

"I know." He said smugly.

"What do you all want to do?" asked Pam. "Watch another movie? Play a game?"

"I think we should pick up this game of Truth or Dare Tara and I was playing earlier." LaFayette suggested.

I made a noise of annoyance. "I hate that game."

"I know and that's why you get to go next, truth or dare Eric." LaFayette said with a smirk on his face and a sip of his drink.

I shook my head. "Dare, I guess. I have no interesting truths."

"Alright, alright you want dare, I dare you... I dare you..." He looked around the room thinking of something embarrassing for me to do and then his eyes fell on Sookie and then darted back to me. I could see the excitement in his eyes. "I dare you to kiss Sookie."

"I can't do that." I said shaking my head. I could do it, I wanted to do it but it wouldn't be right to do it. It would make her feel guilty. "She has a boyfriend and it would make her uncomfortable. I won't do it." I looked over at Sookie and we locked eyes as my heart thundered in my chest.

"Those are the rules Eric you either do the dare or face humiliation." LaFayette said matter-of-factly.

"I'll take the humiliation." I said finishing my drink and giving the glass back to him so he could refill it.

"The humiliation is you have to be naked for the remainder of the evening." He said handing me back the glass.

"Fine." I sighed.

"This is stupid. It's just a game and it's just a kiss between friends." Sookie said looking over at me. She moved her body so that the whole thing was on the couch and she crawled towards me. Just as she was about to put her lips on mine her hand slipped in-between the couch cushions making her fall into me with more force than I think she intended. I think she just wanted to give me a peck but this was a full blown kiss.

Her lips were hot and soft against mine as my eyes fluttered shut and I leaned into her. I felt her start to stabilize herself as my hand came up and cupped her face. Her mouth began to move and as she gasped for air as her lips closed around my lower lip. My head was becoming cloudy and I had forgotten about the three other people in the room. Her lips moved one more time so that my upper lip was in-between hers and then she parted, her lips slightly swollen and twitching, her eyes wide looking into mine, brows furrowed, nostrils flaring.

Tara cleared her throat and we moved away from each other quickly. "Eric it's your turn."

"I don't want to play this stupid game anymore, I told you I hate it." I said through gritted teeth as I stood up, walked to the TV and picked up a movie. "I want to watch _13 Going On 30_ because its fucking delightful and I'm tired." I said walking back to the couch.

I was angry. This was not how the first kiss was supposed to be. I knew there would be one, I knew that we'd kiss at least once, one way or another but I always imagined we 'd be alone, not playing a game in front of our friends. I hated it and I hated that I hated it because the kiss was good. Incredible in fact and my lips burned trying to hold onto the sensation.

"Are you staying here?" Pam asked shocked.

I nodded. "Yeah, if it's okay."

"Yeah, you can sleep beside LaFayette."

"No he cannot. I need my room to get my beauty sleep." LaFayette cocked an eyebrow before turning to watch the TV.

"Then it'll have to be beside Sookie." Pam said shrugging.

"That's fine." Sookie chimed in, eyes fixed on the TV.

"It's settled then." Pam smiled, turning to watch the movie.

We sat and watched the movie in silence until about half way through when Sookie stood. "I'm gonna go open a bottle of wine. Should I bring it in?"

"Yeah." Pam said distracted. I knew for a fact _13 Going on 30_ was one of her favourite movies. She'd kill me if I told anyone.

Once Sookie left the room I stood and silently followed her hoping no one would notice I was gone. She was looking through a drawer when I entered the kitchen. "Hey." I said startling her.

She gave me a side glance. "Hey." She responded as she retrieved the corkscrew and went to work on the bottle.

I stood there awkwardly, shirtless, thinking of something to make her feel better. I could see the tension in her back, she felt guilty. "Sorry about that. The kissing thing. LaFayette can be a dick sometimes."

She shrugged. "That's okay. It's just a game." She hurried to open the bottle of wine. Her fingers were shaking.

"You've been avoiding me." I said with too much confidence in my voice. I knew it would make her angry and I mentally scolded myself.

She turned with attitude and placed her hand on her hip. "I'm not avoiding you. I was just busy."

"Doing what?"

"I wanted to get time in with Bill before he left." She turned back to the bottle.

"Left? Where did Bill go?" I asked with too much excitement. This was my act of god, he was gone, no longer in my way and I felt like a selfish asshole. I knew ultimately, if anything happened, I would break her heart because when push came to shove, in the hour of need, I would crack, run and she'd hate me forever but I couldn't pull away. I was a moth and she was my flame.

"New York. He has this huge account he needs to deal with. He has to do it in person." She paused as she finally got the bottle open. "Anyways you were avoiding me too. Tara told me you switched two of the shifts we were supposed to work together."

"I had shit to do."

"Like what?"

I shrugged. "Stuff."

"I know why you were avoiding me too." She said smugly as she took the first sip of her wine.

"Why was I avoiding you?" I asked like I couldn't wait to hear her question.

"You got spooked. We fell asleep together and you don't sleep with other people. Intimacy and all that shit but you slept with me and now you think we are all in love and shit." She was drunk. "But don't worry Eric, it was just sleep. Glorious sleep by the way."

"I did sleep very well that night." I admitted as I sighed and rubbed my hand over my chest. "And you're right, I did get spooked." I swallowed hard. "It scared the shit out of me Stackhouse."

"Why? It's just sleeping." She seemed confused.

"It's the one time I can't control what I'm doing. It's the one time I'm not on." I took the bottle from her.

"I figured you didn't have to be _on _when you were with me." She took a sip and shrugged. She looked almost hurt.

"Maybe that's why I fell asleep with you in the first place." I said looking into her eyes as she finally looked at me.

We stood in silence for a few moment before she spoke. "Don't be afraid of me Eric. I'm your friend, so there's nothing to fear." She walked past me into the living room and I followed. She didn't know how wrong she was.

We said very little to each other for the rest of the night until we logistically figured out where everyone was going to sleep. LaFayette took one of the mattresses farthest from the hallway and kitchen and closest to the front door, Pam and Tara took the twin in the middle and Sookie and I took the twin on the end. She was on the inside and I slept on the outside.

We laid there in the dark, LaFayette passing out instantly like he could always do, snoring loudly and the soft steady breathing of Tara and Pam followed shortly after. Then there was Sookie, lying on her back, eyes closed taking calculated breaths in hopes to fall asleep.

Then I did something so uncharacteristic of me that I was surprised when I did it. I inched my hand towards hers until I felt my pinkie bump into hers. It stayed there a moment until she turned her hand over so it was palm up. I place my hand, palm down, on top of hers and allowed our fingers to intertwine. I started up at the ceiling until I decided to look over her. In the moonlight I could see her eyes still closed and the smallest smile on her face, she was asleep and it didn't take me long to join her.

**SOOKIE**

I woke up cocooned in warmth. I took a deep breath in and could smell ivory soap and what could only be described as the sea. The feeling of your lungs filling with the freshest air, like you were breathing for the first time. I had only felt that by the sea and that's what it was like smelling Eric.

His strong body was against mine, his arm around my shoulders, my arm over his chest, his nose and lips pushed into my hair. "Stackhouse?" He said softly has his breath warmed my hair.

"Yeah." I whispered back.

"You awake?"

"No." I said as my hand moved over his smooth, tan chest with just the slightest smattering of hair.

"Didn't think so." He laughed quietly, pulling me in tighter. "I was gonna get up and make breakfast for everyone gets up. You wanna help?"

"Everyone's been awake for hours." LaFayette said.

My eyes flew open to see him sitting cross legged on the couch, still just in his pyajama bottoms eating a bowl of cereal, watching TV. I moaned and rolled away from Eric as he distanced himself from me.

"Yeah we got up 'bout ten and Pam told me that I had to let Eric sleep, because you never sleep, but we couldn't wake Sookie without out waking your ass, so now it's one and here we are." He motioned to the area around him as he went back to the TV. I couldn't believe I had slept through everything.

Eric moaned and stood, walking down the hall and into the bathroom.

I looked back to LaFayette who was staring at me with a knowing look on his face. "What?" I barked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Maybe you _is_ looking for a reason to hate Bill. You and Eric looked mighty cozy." He cocked an eyebrow and stood. "You know Sookie sometimes the most stubborn people just need a good kick in the ass." He stared at me a moment longer and then went into the kitchen.

I threw my arm over my eyes and made a noise of frustration. Bill had been gone for less than twenty-four hours and I had already kissed and slept with Eric and aroused even more suspicion in a friend.

I was off to a stellar start.

* * *

**So they kissed, it was a dare but it happened and Bill is finally gone. What did you all think? **

**The title of the next chapter is ****'****All of my Days****'****. I want to start sharing the title of the next chapter in my author notes at the end. Does everyone like that idea? I think I****'****m also under the delusion that you all care about this story way more than you actually do but let me know what you think. **

**Thank you all for reading. **


	12. All Of My Days

**A/N: The title ****'****All of my Days****' ****comes from the song ****'****All of my Days****' ****by Alexi Murdoch. The feeling of that song inspired this chapter. It reminds me of those lazy days of summer that are filled with laughs and friends and for a short while everything seems perfect. If you can listen to the song before, whilst or after reading the chapter that would be awesome. I****'****ll leave a link to it on my profile if any of you happen to be interested. **

**I also want to let everyone know that music is very important to me and there is a lot of music in this chapter. **

**Thank you jeanshouse412ya, ashmo2000, BlueMonday2387, Katherine, bloodamber, roisej, suzyq59, MelodiusNocturn, lablover2 and ericplenty for reviewing. I love the reviews, they are so encouraging and really make my day. **

**Again, I edited this myself so there are probably errors. **

**This is the longest chapter I****'****ve written so far, so long I had to take the end of this chapter and tac it onto the beginning of the next chapter because it would be close to 10,000 words. Some parts of this chapter is some of the first things I wrote for this story. It****'****s funny because I dislike this chapter, I hate it and just need to get it posted so I can move on. There is one of these in every story. **

**I hope, at the very least, you all like it.**

* * *

**ERIC**

I grabbed a cart and began to stroll the aisles of the Bellefleur Market with LaFayette by my side. I had woken him up so he was cranky and was not hiding his annoyance.

"When are you even having this barbecue?" LaFayette questioned with an irritated tone. He hadn't even bothered to dress, he was just in his bright pink bathrobe. Regardless of the inappropriate nature of wearing nothing but a bathrobe in a public place, he wore it well.

"Tomorrow." I said throwing hamburgers, hot dogs and steaks into the cart.

"And why haven't you invited me to these festivities?" He inquired throwing eggs, cream cheese and some yogurt into the cart. "Can you get me these?" He asked.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I haven't invited you because I'm not sure it's going to happen." I pushed my cart into the junk food aisle. A pretty blonde smiled at me as I passed her, I gave her a small smile back. I surprised myself, I didn't give her my infamous Eric Northman grin that usually made girls melt. The crush I had on Sookie made it hard for me to focus or want other girls, I had lost all interest.

"Why buy all this shit if you don't know you're having a barbecue?" He asked throwing various chips into the cart.

"Because I'm hoping for the best and if the best in fact happens you will be invited to the barbecue." I said taking some toilet paper from a display and putting it into the cart.

"You're seeing Sookie tomorrow ain't you?" He asked with a devilish smile, throwing another pack of toilet paper in the cart.

I stopped. "Dude, are you grocery shopping?"

He sighed. "I'm a little short this month, if you could help me out I'd appreciate it." He looked embarrassed.

"LaFayette I've told you a million times, if you need something, ask for it. I don't understand why you just won't move in with me?" I asked pushing the cart down another aisle.

He shook his head. "And I've told you a million times, your shit is your shit and my shit is my shit. I just need some help sometimes."

"Get everything you need." I smiled at him as I grabbed buns of all kinds.

He started picking out different breads and bagels when he turned back to me. "You didn't answer my question."

"What?"

"You're seeing Sookie tomorrow." He smirked.

"It's the first time we're hanging out alone in a long time and I want to make sure everything goes well."

"So you've accepted your crush?" LaFayette said throwing a few more items in.

"It would appear that way." I mumbled.

"And Bill is gone."

"Yes, he is." I tried to suppress the smile I knew was spreading across my face. I looked over at LaFayette who was looking at me with a confused look on his face. "What?" I asked him.

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" He asked.

I scoffed. "Don't be stupid." I said rolling my eyes.

"What's your game plan, Eric?"

"What do you mean?" I questioned stopping in the middle of the aisle.

"Once she falls for you, what's your plan?" He was serious, he was almost never like this, when the vixen left his eyes and the true life long friend entered.

I stared at him trying to think of an answer. "I don't know." I answered truthful.

"Well maybe, before you charge on through, you figure that out." He winked and walked ahead of me taking few more things off the shelves.

I hated that everyone was trying to over think everything. Why couldn't I just hang out with Sookie and see where it went? I shook off LaFayette's question and moved forward, I refused to over think this, if there was any chance that I was actually going to _be_ with Sookie the less I thought about it the better.

I finished shopping and took LaFayette home and distracted myself by watching movies, exercising and making an elaborate dinner so I wouldn't over think the next day.

**SOOKIE**

I woke up Sunday morning excited knowing I would get to see Eric that day. It was the first time in a long time we'd be hanging out just us.

I took time picking out my clothes but ultimately settled on the same thing I always wore, cutoffs, an open white linen button down and the red and white bikini I had on the day Eric and I met.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time. I was nervous, I was short of breath and my stomach was in knots. I wanted to look nice but not too nice, I didn't want to run out of things to talk about and I didn't want things to be awkward. I wanted to work on being friends and get over my crush, it wouldn't do any good to keep pining over Eric when he was not pining over me.

I wanted to focus my thoughts on Bill.

I had spoken with Bill numerous times in the three days he had been gone, we had Skyped once and he sent me texts all the time. He seemed stressed, stressed from his work and stressed that his work was causing him to be away from me. I missed him a lot which I hadn't expected. Even with Eric, Tara, Pam and LaFayette around I found myself wishing I could see Bill, wishing I could tell him things and it had me questioning how I really felt about him. My feelings about Bill were muddled but strong and it made everything with Eric that much more confusing.

I sighed and left my bathroom, going downstairs to get something to eat. I had some cereal and scrolled through various social medias until Eric showed up.

I jumped when the doorbell rang and rushed to answer it. Standing behind my door was Eric in swim trunks and a basic white t-shirt wearing his famous grin with Toby by his side. He looked different, instead of the smouldering hunk he usually was he looked youthful and boyish but handsome as always. My stomach knotted at the sight of him and I did my best to ignore the feeling.

"Pour vous." Eric said as he handed me a Magic Bullet.

I gasped in delight. "For me?" I placed my hand on my chest like I couldn't believe he brought me one.

He nodded with a smile as he walked into my kitchen and sat down on one of the stools that surrounded the island. "I figured who could use one of these?" He tapped his lip with his finger as he pondered. "And then I thought, another rich person who has everything."

"I don't have a magic bullet." I said with a smirk.

"Now you do." He laughed. "I'm trying to purge my infomercial habit after our talk. I've given one to Pam, LaFayette, Tara, Sam, Arlene, Holly and now you. I only have one left."

"How do you feel?" I asked him going to the fridge and grabbing each of us a beer.

"I feel like I only have one magic bullet in my garage." He smiled again and stared at me. "I missed you Stackhouse."

I ran to him and threw my arms around him. "I missed you too." I said burying my face in his neck, with him sitting we were finally the same height. "If you have a problem like that again don't run, come to me, we'll work it out."

"I promise." he said taking his first sip of his beer. "So what do you have planned for us today?"

"I was thinking a swim, then tanning, then food somewhere in there and then who knows." I shrugged realizing I really had planned nothing. "We could watch a movie at some point. Maybe after lunch?" I suggest opening my beer.

"Sounds good. You don't mind that I brought Toby, do you?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, I love Toby." I said watching him sniff every inch of my house.

"Good, let's go swim." He suggested.

"Oh!" I shouted, "look what I've discovered." I picked up the remote to the sound system which was on the counter and pushed play but nothing happened. I huffed and walked closer to the main unit in the living room and pushed the button again and still nothing. Finally I just threw my arms in the air and walked into the living room aiming the remote at the unit causing Coldplay to start blasting through the speakers.

I started dancing, which was a bold move because I wasn't a very good dancer. I moved into the kitchen mouthing the words of the song to Eric as he stayed seated watching me with a grin. My movements were grand and ridiculous but the song was so much fun I couldn't help it.

_Written in graffiti on a bridge in a park/__'__Do you ever get the feeling that you're missing the mark?__'_

"You've discovered the modern sound system then?" He shouted me as Toby jumped up around me as I danced. I stood in front of him and clutched my hands to my heart as I mouthed the next line.

_Written up in marker on a factory sign/__'__I struggle with the feeling that my life isn__'__t mine_

"Are you seriously excited that music can play through speakers?" He asked baffled.

I ignored him as I removed my shirt and I ran outside, Toby on my heels. I peeled off my shorts and jumped into the pool. When I resurfaced he was standing at the edge of the pool. I looked at him as continued to lip-sync.

_Oh you, use your heart as a weapon/And it hurts like heaven_

"I don't understand what you're so excited about Stackhouse." He said smiling down at me, taking his shirt off.

"There are speakers out here that are hooked up to the sound system inside!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, you didn't know that?"

"Of course I didn't know that!" I shouted annoyed that he wasn't as excited as I was. "Whatever, just get in the pool Northman." I motioned with my thumb behind me.

He jumped into the pool splashing me. We tried playing a very unsuccessful game of Marco Polo and decided to get out once we had gone all pruney.

We laid out on deck chairs and soaked up the afternoon sun as Toby laid on the deck between us. "During our time apart, what were you doing?" I asked him curiously.

"Nothing special, worked, exercised, watched way too much TV, bonded with this idiot." He pointed down at Toby and I giggled. "What about you?"

"I was with Bill. Late breakfasts, movies, dinner dates. Typical couple stuff." I trailed off as Eric shifted uncomfortably, I knew he hated when I talked about Bill so I dropped it. "I'm starving, you hungry?" I asked him.

"I could eat." He said shortly as he stood and we walked into the house, Toby behind us.

I took out the things needed to make sandwiches and we stood side by side making the sandwich we desired. "Can I ask you a question?" Eric asked breaking the silence between us.

"Sure." I replied licking mustard off my finger.

"What's the sex like?" He said turning he body towards me as he bit into his sandwich.

My eyes shifted back and forth as confusion swept my face. "Haven't you had sex like a million times? I thought you would have made a conclusion by now."

"Ha, no, I mean with Compton. How's the sex?" The corner of his mouth pulled up as he tried not to smile.

"I'm not telling you that." I said getting a plate and cutting the sandwich in half once it was on it.

"Why not? We're friends, friends talk about sex." Well, he wasn't wrong and I did want to work on being friends with him.

"Yeah but you hate Bill. You might use the intel against him." I said sitting down to eat.

"So it's bad."

"What? No!"

"If it's good how can I use it against him? So what is it? He can't make you come?"

I laughed uncomfortably. "No, he can, I orgasm fine thank you very much."

"I bet you do."

"Do you always get this cocky when you talk about sex?" I asked taking another bite.

"Always, so if it's not an orgasm problem, what is it?" He stared at me intensely.

I realized he wasn't going to let this drop until I answered him. "He never wants to do it any other way other than missionary. Every time I try to get on top or from behind or what have you he stops me." I sighed.

"Why don't you just tell him what you want?" He questioned.

"I guess I'm insecure, nervous, I feel like I'm not comfortable enough to ask for what I want. I mean we'll get there but it is a problem." I felt better for telling Eric about my problem, like a weight had been lifted. I could only hope he's give me good advice.

"Well you should tell him. When it comes to sex between to consenting adults both parties should get everything they can out of it. Sex isn't just for guys Stackhouse, women should enjoy sex just as much and if you aren't getting it from him tell him and if he won't change find someone who will." He finished his sandwich and began cleaning up the mess.

"Thanks Eric." I said bringing my plate to the dishwasher.

"You're welcome." He said quietly.

We finished cleaning together and Eric asked me, "what movie do you want to watch?"

"How about Inglorious Basterds? I haven't seen it in a long time." I suggested.

"Sounds good." He said heading towards our TV room. We watched the movie, not saying much to each other, partly because I had nothing to say and partly because the movie was so damn good. It wasted most of our afternoon but it was still too early to suggest dinner so I needed to find something to fill our time.

"Is there anything you want to do?" I asked looking over at him as the movie ended.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked not looking over at me.

"We could play a game." I suggested.

"What kind of game." He inquired finally looking at me.

"I think we have some board games." I said with no confidence.

"Okay." He agreed standing up holding his hand out to me.

I stood and he followed me to the pantry, if we actually had any board games, the pantry was where they would be stored. We had one. "So there's Boggle." I said disappointed.

"I love Boggle!" Eric said excitedly, snatching the game from my hands.

"You love Boggle? No one loves Boggle." I said walking past them and into the kitchen grabbing some beers.

"Well I do." He proclaimed taking one of the beers from me. "Shall we play?"

I nodded with a smile as we went back to the TV room and set up the game. I shook up the dice and started the timer as I frantically looked for words I knew. Once the minute was up we took turn revealing our words. Eric and I each found the same four words until we came to his fifth.

"Quire." He said confidently.

"Quire?" I asked. "You can't make up words Eric." I laughed nearly falling off the couch.

"I told you I'm good at this game, Scrabble too." He grinned and cocked an eyebrow.

"Use it in a sentence." I demanded, crossing my arms.

"To finish my story I need a quire."

"Okay." I said shaking my head grabbing my phone. "I'm looking this up, quire, quire," I repeated the word over and over while I typed it in. "Fuck me." I exclaimed when I finally found it.

"Gladly." Eric said lordly.

I rolled my eyes again and read the definition aloud. "A set of 24 uniform sheets of paper."

"Told you." He sang as he took a sip of his beer.

"Whatever, you're smart and know words. I know words too! My fifth word is cap, so there." I said as proudly as I could.

He laughed. "Fine you win."

I shook my head taking a sip of my drink. "No, no. I want to win because I'm better at this than you. How many words do you have?" I said trying to look at his pad of paper.

"Eleven."

"Eleven! What are you a fucking word genie?"

"I know a lot of words."

"And you think you're under educated. You're too self-deprecating." I said standing feeling my stomach rumble. "You win."

"Fine, I win." He said smiling, looking up at me.

"What do you want to do for dinner?" I asked hoping he still wanted to hang out with me.

"I was thinking we could have a barbecue." He said standing as well towering over me.

"Oooooo, I like that idea." I said with a smile. "We should invite Pam, Tara and LaFayette over too." I paused. "Jason and Hoyt too if they promise not to bring Jessica." I said as an after thought.

"Yeah, no Jessica." He agreed heading towards the back door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I have hamburgers and hot dogs and all that at my place." He said slapping his leg which woke up Toby who was quick to follow him.

"That's convenient." I told him as we headed outside into the dying heat of twilight.

"That's me, Mr. Convenience." He smirked as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "This is gonna be a good night Stackhouse. I can feel it."

I smiled at him because I could feel it to. This would be one of those lazy, easy summer nights that I would remember forever.

**ERIC**

Toby went tearing into the house and went right for his food bowl the second we got in.

I found a cloth bag out and started packing it with everything we would need for the barbecue, all the things I bought yesterday.

"Do you have Advil?" Sookie questioned as she rubbed her temples. "I just got the worst headache."

"Yeah, there's some in the medicine cabinet upstairs." I motioned as I continued to pack.

She turned and ran upstairs while I made sure Toby didn't need anything else and that I had everything that was needed for tonight.

I texted Pam, Tara and LaFayette and waited for their responses. All three of them were the same.

**Yeah Sookie already texted me, I'm in. **

"How did she do this that fast?" I said aloud.

"How did I do what so fast?" She asked coming into the room her hands in her back pockets.

"Did everyone get back to you?"

She nodded. "Everyone should be here in about half an hour, an hour. Jason and Hoyt are coming. No Jessica." We air fived.

"So I guess we should start grilling." I suggested.

"It seems that we should." She beamed looking at Toby. "Come on boy." She said in her lovely dovey "dog voice" and went out the back door, Toby at her heels.

Once we got back on her deck I put everything on the preparation station that was attached to the grill. "I'm gonna go change, can you start the grill?" She asked me as she ran off to the house.

I stared at it dumbfounded. I looked like a guy who could grill but the truth was I had never even started one. Every barbecue I had ever been to the grilling had been done for me. "I'm assuming propane and fire is needed." I mumbled to myself as I went on the yellow brick quest for matches or a lighter or something that made fire.

I finally found a long barbecue lighter under the prep station. I let the propane flow from the tank and began trying to light it. I tried over and over again until I heard her yell at me. "Eric don't do that!"

Just as I heard her warning a ball of fire came shooting towards me. I stepped away quickly but not quickly enough to save any of my arm hair. "Do I still have my hair and eyebrows?" I questioned in utter terror.

She laughed. "Yes, you're still handsome, calm yourself." She took the lighter from me and turned down the propane and lit the barbecue with ease. "So you've never done that before, have you?" She had an amused grin on her face. She had changed into black sweat pants and a UCLA sweat shirt. It was getting cold and she wanted to be comfy. She looked beautiful when she was casual like this. She always looked beautiful, it was like she became more beautiful every time I saw her.

"No I have never lit a grill before and I'll probably never try again." I said stepping away.

"So I'll take it that you have no interest in cooking anything."

"I'd better not."

"Can you light a fire?" She asked pointing at the fire pit.

"That I can do." I said taking the lighter from her.

She told me where all the fire wood was and asked me to fill the coolers that were in the seats that lined the deck with beer. Toby had found his spot in between two deck chairs and was fast asleep.

Tara and Pam showed up bringing gifts of wine and LaFayette shortly after with tequila. Always tequila with LaFayette. They were all dressed like Sookie, comfortably and warm and I felt stupid for not changing.

Tara had gone to speak to Sookie who was drinking a beer and doing a fantastic job manning the grill. These were the moments I liked her best, her natural moments, the moments she didn't know I was looking at her.

Pam approached me and brought me in for a hug. "Wanna know a secret?" She tried to whisper but it just came out normally, she smelled like wine.

"I'll take a shot in the dark, your drunk?" I said as I hugged LaFayette. "So everything turned out for the best?" He asked with a smirk.

"Yes it did." I replied.

"I'm drunk, got my day glow on." She laughed through her nose and jutted out her hip towards me. "Sorry not sorry." She laughed again going to get more wine.

"Wow." I said watching her swagger around. "I haven't seen her that drunk in a long time."

"It's her day off." LaFayette said defending her. "Leave her be." He sat down on one of the chairs as I started to build the fire.

The fire was roaring in no time, the food was almost ready and the sun was almost all the way down. All of our attention turned to Hoyt's truck as it came speeding up around the house and stopped abruptly as Jason and Hoyt got out.

"The party has arrived." Jason announced triumphantly as he and Hoyt each carried a 24 case of beer.

I watched as Sookie nervously looked around for Jessica and she visibly relaxed when she realized that Jason made good and didn't bring her. Sookie went back to barbecuing as Jason greeted everyone.

Hoyt began emptying the beer into coolers and took one out for himself.

Jason then took two beers and cracked them open and headed over to Sookie. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, one of the beers in his hand which she took. He said something to her which made her laugh then he pressed a kiss into her temple. I smiled finally seeing the closeness with Jason she had talked about before.

The sweet moment was cut short when Jason looked down at the grill and asked her something. They immediately started bickering and Sookie handed him the spatula and walked towards me, beer in hand. "Apparently I wasn't seasoning it right. Is there some secret class all men take that teaches you everything you need to know about grilling?"

"Clearly there isn't. I nearly set myself on fire." I laughed as she sat down beside me on the seat that surrounded the pit that was meant for two.

"You built one hell of a fire though." She commented looking at it.

"Thanks Stackhouse." I nudged her and she nudged me back.

"Foods up." Jason shouted and Toby perked up running in his direction.

Everyone ate and drank until they possibly couldn't hold anymore and we settled in for a long night around the fire. Music filled the air around us, songs that reminded me of summer, it was probably why Sookie picked them.

"Van Morrison, do you remember how much we used to listen to him Sook?" Jason asked looking in her direction. "And The Stranglers, man I love The Stranglers."

Sookie hummed in content agreement. She looked so peaceful, so happy, her mouth was pulled up into a half smile.

"So how's Bill?" Tara asked, trying to make real conversation.

Sookie straightened up and seemed more alert. "He's good, stressed for many different reasons but he's getting everything done and he thinks he'll be home sooner than he planned, so that's nice." She smiled at Tara.

"Everything is still good between you two?" Jason asked. "Cause I only ever see this guy around nowadays." Jason pointed in my direction.

Pam and LaFayette both turned their heads in my direction at the same time and smiled mischievously.

"Yeah Jay, were fine." Her tone implied that everything was in fact fine but the look on her face suggested that it wasn't.

"How's the law game Pam?" Sookie asked starting off a long conversation bringing all of us up to date on everyone else's live. Pam still loved her job, Tara was loving school, Hoyt dreamed of opening his own construction company, Jason talked about running Sonnet and Sookie talked about teaching. All in all everyone just wanted to be happy.

"What about you Northman? Have anything on the horizon?" Jason asked me.

I shook my head. "Nope just more of this. This suits me just fine." That answer was a lie. I wanted more but my fear held me in place. I wanted to be able to share my writing, my poetry but the fear of rejection was to great. I started thinking about spending my life with someone, a blonde someone but the fear of rejection wouldn't allow me. I wanted to sing but the fear of embarrassing myself forced me to keep my mouth shut. I was at, what most people would call, a crossroads. Something deep down inside me told me that everything would be different by the end of the summer. My life would change or it would be more of the same and it would stay that way forever. Jason finally interrupted my train of thought.

"I haven't listening to this song in a long time." Jason smiled contently. "This playlist reminds me so much of the summer before Sonnet."

"This is the playlist. I would never delete such an amazing playlist." Sookie said with the same smile on her face.

"I can't believe how many people we got to sing this song, I would walk into parties filled people I had never met and they would sing it like we would." He laughed fondly, shaking his head.

"The Stackhouse's are nothing if not infectious." Sookie said sipping her beer.

"I miss summers like that." Jason said fondly.

"Summers like what? What are you two talking about?" Tara questioned.

"The summer before I turned twenty one, Jason got me a fake id and we tore Nashville apart." Sookie said with mischievousness in her eyes.

"Who's we?" I asked.

"Jason, me, some of his friends, some of mine. Our name got us in everywhere, we controlled the music, we controlled everything that summer." Sookie said.

"Not your bowels though, that was the summer Sookie shit herself." Jason said like an asshole.

"Thanks for bringing that up again Jay, that's great." Sookie said embarrassed all over again.

"You're welcome." He winked at her over the fire. There was a pause between the two of them as we all listened to the song. "You gonna do it? I will if you will." Jason said with excitement in his voice.

"What the fuck are you two talking about? None of us speak Stackhouse." Pam slurred out.

Sookie stared at him with a half grin on her face and she raised her drink. "Hail Atlantis." She said along with the song, her eyebrow cocked.

Jason and Sookie erupted in song, they weren't singing they were shouting, laughing their way through the words. It effectively scared everyone causing everyone to jump.

_Way down below the ocean where I wanna be, she may be_

Sookie was right, Jason was the singer. Even though he was shouting I could hear the melody in his voice. His voice was a top 40 voice, clear, crisp, nearly perfect tone and pitch, he had a voice like mine while Sookie's voice was harder to pin point. It was hard to tell if she was putting the bad voice on or not because I could hear the melody come out of her from time to time but mainly she was just shouting and giggling the words.

_Way down below the ocean where I wanna be, she may be_

This is when I realized that everyone was singing but me.

"Sing!" Sookie shouted at me, nudging me in the arm.

I shook my head. "I told you I don't sing."

Sookie scoffed in frustration and went back to sing the song with everyone else. Everyone sang happily until the song ended and the playlist changed to something a little more modern.

"I'm gonna get you to sing one day Northman, mark my words." She said getting up to get a beer.

"Baby girl, I've been friends with him for fifteen years and I've only ever heard him sing once and that was by accident, he didn't know I was there." LaFayette said taking a sip of his wine.

"What's his voice like?" She asked getting Jason and Hoyt another beer and taking their empties.

"He has a beautiful voice but he hides it like an asshole." LaFayette said throwing attitude my way.

"Asshole." Sookie quipped as she took her place beside me, propping her feet up on my lap.

"It's my choice to do what I want with my voice." I said defensively.

"Mmmm-hmmm." Both LaFayette and Sookie said at the same time causing them to break out on a fit of giggles.

'Too Cool For School' started playing and I sighed. "Seriously Stackhouse?" I squeezed her feet which caused her to giggle. I couldn't believe she put the song that was her ringtone for me on a playlist.

"What? I actually like the song." She defended herself.

We sat in silence watching the fire crackle before Pam spoke. "This song actually reminds me of you Eric." She said with a lazy drunk smile.

Sookie's eyes lit up and she had the largest smile on her face. "Told you." She said smugly.

"Pam, please don't encourage her." I said rubbing my face.

"Hey y'all." said a small voice. I watched as Jessica made her way up the deck stairs to sit beside Jason. She was wearing tight dark jeans and a tight dark sweater, tight boots, tight everything.

Sookie removed her feet from my lap immediately and put distance between us as a dark look swept her face while she stared at Jessica.

"Nope." Pam started shaking her head pointing in Jessica's direction. "I do not want to deal with you. Please return to whatever circle of hell you should be guarding." Pam waved her hand dismissively at Jessica which cause Sookie to stifle a laugh.

"I'm really sorry about last time everyone, the doctor tells me I'm prone to violent outbursts on account of my rage. I'm on the proper meds now." She smiled sweetly to everyone.

"Yeah, Jess just has rage you guys, that's what all that stuff at the dinner party was." Jason said defending her.

Sookie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Lies." She whispered to me. "Unless they are diagnosing bitch as rage now."

I looked over at Jessica as she was pulled into Jason's lap, squealing and she looked up in my direction and winked. The whole transaction made me feel weird and made me believe Sookie was right. That nothing was actually wrong with Jessica other than her being a spoiled bitch.

After Jessica's arrival the group discussion was over. Pam and Tara were talking to each other quietly and Hoyt was discussing something with LaFayette.

"I'm gonna go to bed." Sookie finally said as she yawned and stretched her arms as she stood. "I can't handle Jessica being here." She whispered to me as she strode towards Tara and Pam. She began hugging everyone and saying her good nights.

"Please everyone stay the night. Please don't drive home, there is enough room for everyone." She smiled and walked up to me. "Goodnight Eric." She wrapped her arms around my middle and squeezed me tight.

"Night Stackhouse." I said stroking the hair on the crown of her head as I kissed the top of her head, letting my lips linger there as I breathed in her lavender smell. I snapped out of it when I realized everyone had gone silent and was looking at us.

Sookie stepped away from me and wished everyone goodnight one last time before walking briskly into her home.

I sat down and was joined by LaFayette almost instantly. "What was that?"

"What was what?" I asked not looking at him.

"I have know you for fifteen years and I have never seen you behave that way, not in public anyway."

"Behave in what way?"

"It's one thing to do that shit surrounded by your friends in private but in front of Bill's sister. Eric you have to watch yourself or you might destroy something between her and Bill that she doesn't want broke." He pleaded with me in whispers.

"I was unsure before but I'm sure now. She doesn't love him." I said still looking at the fire. I was sure she was going to fall in love with Bill but since he had left, her affection had started to wain. She was trying to convince herself of her affection for Bill but I didn't think she actually truly felt it.

"So you love her then?" He asked me nudging my arm. "It would make sense after this," he made over exaggerated movements of what I had just done to Sookie, "after you went to all this trouble to get this barbecue together."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Lafayette." I knew exactly what he was talking about. I didn't love her, not yet, but I excepted the fact that I was going to and that fact made my heart beat so fast I was sure everyone could hear it.

"Oh Eric you so in trouble you don't know how in trouble you is?" LaFayette cocked an eyebrow at me. No LaFayette, I knew exactly how much trouble I was in.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said to him one last time as I looked at him at a side glance.

"Mmm-hmm," he looked away from me unimpressed. "You're lucky you're so damn good looking Northman cause you can be dumber than a bag of hammers." He stood up and went to talk to Tara.

I knew what I had just done was stupid. What it must have looked like. I kissed her on the top of her head. In front of everyone, in front of her boyfriends sister. It probably wasn't the best thing to do but I didn't realize I was doing it. My body moved on it's own when she came into hug me. I was pulling her closer and my lips just rested on the top of her head. It just felt right doing it, being in that position with her, I couldn't help myself.

Jessica interrupted my train of thought as she took the place Sookie had vacated. "So you and Sookie are close, huh?" She said as her blondish red curls cascaded down over her shoulders and the fire illuminated her pale face causing a glowing effect. I was annoyed by her presence. I hated that she was related to Bill and I hated that her coming here caused Sookie to go to bed.

"Yeah we've become friends." I looked over at her and the look on her face told me my answer was not enough. I sighed, "we work together, we live next door to each other, we see each other a lot. It's hard not to become friends."

"My brother probably hates that, he hates you, you know that?" She questioned me.

"Of course I know. I made sure of it." I smirked.

"I hate him too. I like it when he is put in his place, everyone treats him like he walks on water. That's why I like Sookie, she doesn't take any of his shit, you know." She laughed. "You should have seen his face when she said she had no interest in marriage when she was at our family dinner." Her lips spread into a cheshire grin. "He's looking for a wife."

"She won't marry him." I said monotone not wanting to think about her relationship with Bill. Not wanted to think of her being anyone's wife other than... I felt my back stiffen at the thought. What? Other than my wife. I shook my head to snap out of it.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see. My brother can be _very_ persuasive under the right circumstances." She stared at me a little longer than necessary. "So are you trying to fuck her or what?" She asked playfully as she nestled into the chair.

I didn't want to give too much away. I didn't want to say no because she would be skeptically of why I was hanging out with Sookie so much but if I said yes I didn't want her to use it against me. I had very little interaction with Jessica but from what I had heard she appeared nice but was insanely passive aggressive and seemed to enjoy watching others squirm, I needed to keep guard up. "Well, you know my reputation."

She nodded. "I do, that's why I came over here actually." She starred at me as a sexy smile spread across her face. "Jason is a fantastic lover but he's dumb as fuck and I want someone who can stimulate me in more than one way, you're an ideal candidate."

I stared at her as the light of the fire flickered over her face. "I'm not gonna have sex with you Jessica."

The smile fell and for a split second I could see the angry child under her make-up and perfect hair and tight clothing, the child that always got everything she wanted. Her smile reappeared as she sat forward. "I suppose you're saving yourself Miss Country Music." The bitterness in her voice unattractively apparent.

"Jessica, why don't you get a drink and go terrorize Jason." I suggested finishing my beer.

"So what after then?" She asked me ignoring my suggestion.

"So what after what?" I questioned.

She sighed in frustration. "After you fuck her Eric, what then?"

My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

She laughed, I seemed to amuse her. "Do you really think she'll be like, 'thanks for breaking up my relationship, the sex was great, let's be friends?' No she'll want to be with you and if not, it will effectively end your friendship. So what happens after you fuck her?"

I eyed her with distaste. I could see why Sookie hated her so much, just like Bill there was something rotten in Jessica Compton. I shook my head had looked away from her. "I don't care what happens after."

"Oh Eric," she made a sad face and shook her head, placing her hand on my knee. "We both know that's not quite true." She smiled widely. "If you want me, ever, you know where to find me." She winked and then walked across the deck and slung herself over Jason.

I hated her because she was right. If I slept with Sookie I couldn't guarantee she would be okay with friends with benefits and I wasn't sure I could be the boyfriend she might want.

I shook the thoughts away again and finished my beer. I stood to grab another when Tara announced that she was putting Pam to bed.

LaFayette and Hoyt went shortly after and Jason stood with Jessica in a fit of giggles and directed their attention on me. "Take any room you want, man." Jason motioned his arm half hazardly in the direction of the house.

"I think I know the exact room he'll pick." Jessica cooed. I was lucky Jason wasn't that bright and that he didn't catch on to Jessica's accusation.

They both disappeared into the forest and I was left alone. I waited till the fire had burned down to nothing but embers and poured the remainder of my beer on them to extinguish them.

I quietly entered Sookie's house, Toby behind me and made my way up the back staircase. I stopped in front of her room, not sure if I should go in. I knew I wasn't going to sleep alone, I'd fall asleep around dawn and get a few solid hours but if I went into her room now I could get eight, possibly nine. I placed my hand on the handle and hesitated, took a deep breath and went inside.

She was lying on her side with her back to me. I stood awkwardly just inside her room not knowing what to do as Toby curled up in front of her fire place and she spoke. "You getting into bed or what?"

I smiled, removing my shirt and slipping in beside her. I didn't bother waiting for the sleep to blame it on, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close so her back was flush with my front. If she we uncomfortable she said nothing, made no motion to push me away and I buried my face into the crook of her neck. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, I fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**So Jessica is the worst. What did everyone think? **

**The songs mentioned in this are Hurts Like Heaven by Coldplay, Atlantis by Donovan and Too Cool for School by Fountains of Wayne. I have linked them on my profile page if you want to listen to them. **

**The title of the next chapter is ****'****Rainy Day Woman****'****. I****'****m really excited for the next chapter but I warn you more frustration awaits. **

**If you could leave a review it would very much appreciated. I love hearing what you all think. **


	13. Rainy Day Woman

**A/N: Thank you ap630, ashmo2000, outinritefield1, Shantigal, 34ken, MelodyAnderson, BlueMonday2387, Katherine, suzyq59, ericplenty for your lovely reviews. Thank you to all of you who are favouriting and following the story as well, I love it. **

**I named this chapter ****'****Rainy Day Woman****' ****because the song is about weed and someone gets high and it rains in this chapter. **

**It's funny because this chapter was not in my original plan but this might be my favourite chapter so far. I love when that happens.**

**I hope you all like it.**

* * *

**SOOKIE**

I woke up around nine a.m. The sun was streaming through my bay doors as I blinked rapidly trying to get used to the light. I was lying flat on my back and Eric's arm was draped over my stomach. He was lying chest down with his head turned in my direction, breathing in slow and steady as his eyes moved rapidly. I wondered what he was dreaming about, he seemed content, peacefully and I hoped that his dreams were good ones. I slowly moved his arm and sat up looking down at him with a smile. I reached forward and pushed a hair that had fallen out of place back behind his ear, fingering the ends of his hair for a moment to long.

I shook my head and breathed in deep before moving away from him. I had to admit that sleeping with him wasn't helping my crush. Eric was right, sleeping beside someone was intimate and even if nothing sexual was happening, I felt closer to him every time I woke up beside him.

I put on some shorts, woke up Toby and we headed downstairs. LaFayette, Tara and Pam were already awake when I entered the kitchen. Pam was sitting at the table with her head in her hands and a cup of coffee in front of her. "Not going to work today Pam?" I joked as I eyed the plastic bags on the counter LaFayette was going through.

She moaned in pain. "I'm never drinking again."

"Awe baby," Tara laughed quietly as she rubbed Pam's back. "You know that's not true."

"Did you get some Advil?" I asked Pam as I looked into one of the bags and LaFayette swatted me away.

Tara shook her head. "We didn't know where you guys kept it."

"I'll go grab you some." I said running upstairs and bringing the bottle down, placing it in front of her.

I looked at LaFayette who was taking out pots and pans. It was the first time I saw him free of makeup, it was interesting to see him looking so different but his natural look suited him just as much as his day to day makeup did. I smiled as he placed everything on the stove. "Are you making breakfast?"

"Yes ma'am." He remarked with a little hip dip.

"I can make pancakes." I said walking towards him. "If you'd like the help." I smiled.

"Sure baby girl." He smiled back as he turned on the stove and oven and we both got to work.

Jason and Hoyt came down about forty-five minutes later without Jessica. I hoped that Jason realized I didn't want her here and asked her to go home last night or early this morning. Regardless of what happened, she wasn't here and that was all that mattered.

Tara and Pam began setting the table, Hoyt was on coffee duty and Jason was taking condiments out of the fridge.

"Someone should wake up Eric." LaFayette said as he began to plate hash browns covered in cheese.

"I'll go get him." Jason said cheerfully.

"No!" I shouted, thrusting out my arm out to stop him. Everyone was looking at me like I had three heads as I thought of something to say. "I mean, I'll just call him. There's no point of you going all the way upstairs if you don't have to." I reasoned as I grabbed my phone and dialled Eric, abandoning my pancakes.

He picked up after three rings. "Hello." He croaked out.

"Hey sleepy head, breakfast is just about ready so I suggest you make your way downstairs." I giggled as Jason tried to tickle me and he turned on some music.

"What time is it?" Eric questioned.

"It's breakfast time." I answered.

"I'll be right down." He replied sounding like he was going to go back to sleep instead of coming down stairs.

"See you soon." I sang as I hung up the phone and was met with a judgmental eyebrow cock from LaFayette. "What?" I spat.

"Where did Eric sleep last night Sook?" He started plating the bacon.

"A bed I'm assuming." I rolled my eyes and flipped a pancake just before it burned.

"You know what happens when you assume, don't you Blondie?" He smirked as his eyes darted behind me. "Good morning Sunshine." LaFayette said to Eric.

He still had sleep in his eyes and his hair was a mess. He was adorable, it was so hard to picture Eric as anything other than hot or sexy until you knew him as well as I did. He looked so soft and cuddly. I liked him best like this, when he wasn't worried about anything, when he wasn't thinking about scoring or getting people to like him, when he wasn't putting on a show. I liked him when he was comfortable, when he knew he was surrounded by people who loved him.

"LaFayette?" Eric questioned with a shocked tone.

LaFayette looked over at him no humour. "What you looking at pretty boy?" He asked Eric with typical LaFayette attitude.

Eric shrugged. "Nothing, you just look nice this morning. I like you without makeup." He smiled.

"Ha, fuck you." He said pointing his tongs at him. "Sit your perfect ass down before I beat it." LaFayette was insecure without his makeup on.

"What?! I was paying you a complement." He said defensively as he leaned in and kissed me on the top of my head. "Morning Stackhouse." He walked away and sat at the table while everyone else did the same.

I looked over at Lafayette who was smiling with that stupid knowing smile I hated. "How does it feel to be the first girl he's ever loved?" He whispered.

His words choked me, hearing that come from LaFayette changed things or at least swayed the direction of my crush. If LaFayette was playing around it was a cruel joke because if there was a chance that Eric did want me, didn't I owe it to myself to explore that possibility? The thought sent a wave of guilt through me as I thought about Bill.

Instead of asking him further questions I brushed it off. "I wouldn't know." I cocked an eyebrow as I put the last pancake on a plate and brought it to the table.

"Stackhouse, do you have half and half?" Eric asked me as he put some pancakes on his plate.

I nodded and skipped to the fridge. I finally located the carton and brought it over to him. Standing behind Eric I slipped the carton over his shoulder so my mouth was parallel with his ear and whispered, "are you happy?"

He looked over at me with a smile. "I can't remember the last time I was this happy."

My smile grew. "Good." I said placing a kiss firmly on his hair line and taking my place beside him. I looked around the table so happy that everyone was there. "I'm really glad we could all do this and thank you all for the wonderful evening last night."

"Here, here." Tara said raising her mug. "To good friends and the last dog days of summer." We all cheers'd and dug into breakfast.

"Where's Jessica?" Eric inquired. I felt a pang of jealousy flow through me, he shouldn't care where she is.

"Sacrificing orphans in a church I'd imagine." I said with annoyance in my voice as I shoved half a pancake in my mouth.

"She had a spinning class or something." Jason said. "I didn't realize we had a gym that offered classes."

"We don't." Pam said.

"Well then were did she go?" Jason asked.

"I told you, in a church sacrificing orphans." I sighed. "Come on Jason, keep up."

"She propositioned me for sex last night." Eric said innocently as he worked on his breakfast.

"What?" Jason said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, what?" I said echoing him.

"She came over to me and told me she wanted someone who could stimulate her in more ways than one and I shot her down and she got all huffy and went back over to Jason. I'm assuming she's probably with a different guy right now." Eric shrugged and continued eating. "That's my guess. She doesn't seem like the loyal type."

"This is bullshit." Jason said getting up and retrieving his phone to call her I could only imagine, he disappeared into the other room.

"I can't believe she did that." I said quietly resuming the eating of my breakfast. My statement was a lie, of course Jessica would proposition Eric for sex. I shook my head, how did Bill end up so normal?

"Why do you care?" He asked looking at me as I stared at the salt and pepper shakers on the table.

"I don't." I looked at him. "I just think you can do better."

"Thanks." He said, sounding almost flattered.

"You're welcome." I replied cheerfully.

Everyone made small talk for the rest of the meal, we all helped clean up and everyone went home.

The next couple of days I barely saw Eric. Our schedules never synced. He was working when I wasn't, he had errands to run on the other side of town when my errands were more local. No matter what we tried we couldn't find time for each other until the first thunderstorm of the year.

The house was being pelted with rain as lightening scorched the sky and thunder rumbled the house when I heard my doorbell ring. I opened the door to find a wet Toby who darted into the house with his tail between his legs and a wet Eric who stood on my front porch with a goofy grin on his face.

His navy blue T-shirt clung to every muscle on his chest as drops of water dripped off the ends of his hair, rolling down his nose, disappearing over his lips. "I'm high as fuck right now." He giggled and walked into the house, removing his shirt.

"How have the brownies lasted this long?" I questioned as I followed him to the laundry room.

"I froze them." He started taking off his pants and a part of me wished that he wasn't so comfortable taking his clothes off and another part of me was so happy he was. "Does Jason have sweatpants I can borrow?" He asked.

I nodded and motioned to a basket of clean laundry on the dryer. "Those ones on top."

He ushered me out of the laundry room and came out moments later in Jason's pants that were slightly too small for him, I could hear the dryer running. "I want to eat all your food." He said with a smirk.

"So you get the munchies when you get high?" I grinned. "Good to know." I motioned to the fridge and cabinets. "Knock yourself out."

I watched Eric eat for thirty minutes straight. "Oh my God, this food is so good. I'm so happy I came here."

I laughed. "I'm happy you finally got one with weed in it. I was starting to think my gift would be a little lacklustre if you never got high."

"You could start a business making those things." He shoved a whole cookie in his mouth.

"It would be an illegal business."

"Not in Colorado" His eyes grew wide. "Let's move to Colorado!" He said it like it was the best idea ever.

I laughed. "If the teaching and record producing falls through we'll move to Colorado and open a weed bakery."

He pointed at me. "I'm gonna hold you to that, Stackhouse." His eyes darted from me to a cardboard box sitting on the island. "What's in the box?" He asked as he got up and found a bottle of water in the fridge.

"My dress for Holly's wedding." I said pulling it towards me. "I bought it a couple of days ago and I'm taking your advice. If want sexier times in bed I figured it's time I got a little bit sexier." The truth was I bought the dress for both Bill and Eric. LaFayette's words about Eric loving me had only intensified my crush but Bill was still strong in my mind.

Bill had started sending me love letters in the mail and hundreds of roses daily. They were everywhere, filling the house with the sweet smell of flowers. Bill's gestures were undeniably romantic and it was hard to turn away from him when he's was making all this effort hundreds of miles away. Romantic gestures aside, sometimes it was easy to forget about Bill when Eric was very tangible only a few feet away.

Eric slowly lowered the bottle from his mouth and eyed the box. "Your sexy dress is in that box?"

I nodded.

"I want to see it. Try it on." He sat down on the stool and looked at me. "I'll tell you if it's the right kind of sexy."

I grinned and grabbed the box. "Stay here." I said as I ran upstairs to change. The dress was a tight strapless bondage wrap dress in blood red that ended just above the knee and fit me like a glove. I grabbed a pair sparkly gold high heels I planned to wear with it and padded downstairs. I slipped on the shoes at the last minute and walked back into the kitchen. "What do you think?" I asked as I spun in front of him.

He said nothing, just stared at me as his cheeks flushed. "That's a good dress." He finally said.

"The right kind of sexy?" I asked.

"If you wear that dress I don't think you and Bill will make it to the wedding." He laughed weakly.

"Well, I'm glad you like it." I said running my hands over my body, smoothing out non existent wrinkles before I took my high heels off and walked over to him. "You don't think it's too much for a wedding?" I asked as I stopped in front of him.

"I think you look beautiful." He smiled and looked away from me.

"Will you save me a dance?" I asked him, "I know you probably don't dance but can you make an exception, for me?"

He was looking at his hands as lightening lit up the sky behind him before he looked up at me. "I'll save you a dance, Stackhouse." He grinned.

I smiled and nudged him in the knee with my hip before I went upstairs to change back into my shorts and plaid shirt. I looked up on top of my dresser and saw the piece of paper that had taken up so much of my time the past couple of days, his piece of paper, the one I stole from him. I debated whether I should keep it a secret or let him know what I had done. A boom of thunder shook the house knocking out the power and I took it as a sign. I grabbed the now worn paper and shoved it in my back pocket before going downstairs.

I went into the kitchen to find a scared looking Eric. "Stackhouse, I hit this switch and the power stopped working. I'm sorry."

"You didn't break the electricity Eric, I think lightening hit a transformer near by." I said putting away all the food he was eating.

"Do you think Optimus Prime is coming?" He asked with a wide smile.

"No." I said bluntly as I walked away from him into my living room and he followed. "Sit." I said to him, motioning towards the couch. I started fidgeting and my heart started to race. "I have something I want to show you." I said quietly as his brow furrowed.

**ERIC**

She couldn't have been more cryptic if she tried. She was shifting her weight back and forth as she opened and closed her mouth multiple times trying to find the right thing to say. The house was silent as the rain pounded against the floor to ceiling windows. Toby was sleeping in the corner of the room.

"I've been trying to find the right time to tell you this, this thing I did and since you're high right now and the power is out, I think this is the best time to do it." She stared at me waiting for me to say something which I didn't so she continued. "So remember when we went over to your house to get all the barbecue stuff and I said I had a headache?"

"Yeah."

"I actually did have a headache, that wasn't a lie but while I was up there I snooped a little." She wrung her hands together nervously.

"Stackhouse?" Her confession sobered me up instantly and I sat up straight.

"I didn't look through very much, I just went into your study and found this." She unfolded a piece of paper and showed it to me.

My heart was pounding in my chest. "I had been looking everywhere for that. Stackhouse, you know I don't like it when people go through my shit. I'm a private person." My words came out short and sharp.

"I know, I know and I'm sorry." She sighed and shook her head, "but not really because this," she shook the paper in her hands, "is beautiful and I want to show you what can be done with your words." She looked at me intensely, more serious than I had ever seen her. "You think you're a fuck up, you think you're worthless, you think you have nothing to offer. It's because you never offer it." She walked over to the piano and sat down. "I'm going to show you that you're wrong."

She kept readjusting herself on the seat before she was comfortable. "I have a weird voice but I tried to make it work. Please ignore the crackles and imperfections, just take it for what it is." She nodded with determination. "Okay." She took a deep breath in and hit the first notes that filled her cavernous home and she started to sing my words.

_There is a house built out of stone_

What I heard the night of the barbecue was not the voice she had. I was right, her voice was not top 40, but it wasn't bad, it was interesting and layered with character. It sounded like the type of voice you would hear in the back of a smokey bar.

_Wooden floors, walls and window sills_

She was right, her voice cracked and strained but it was beautiful.

_Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust_

The way she had to decided to sing the words was quiet and haunting, echoing through her house.

_This is a place where I don't feel alone/This is a place where I feel at home._

The piano playing dwindled until it went almost silent and just when I thought she had finished she started playing again. The notes were quicker, more complicated and she closed her eyes.

_And I built a home/for you/for me_

I was shocked by how good a player she was. When she told me she could play piano all I could imagine was her playing 'Heart and Soul' or 'Chopsticks'.

_Until it disappeared/from me/from you_

It never occurred to me that she could actually compose music. Look at words and hear a melody in her head.

_And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust__…__.._

The music grew quiet again as her voice faded away and she opened her eyes. Her hair fell in front of her face so I could see slices of her profile being blown out by the grey light and a flash of lightening behind her.

_Out in the garden where we planted the seeds/There is a tree as old as me/Branches were sewn by the colour of green/Ground had arose and passed its knees_

It made sense that she could compose music. Her whole life she had been surrounded by singers, songwriters, musicians and composers. It would be difficult not to pick up a thing or two.

_By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top/I climbed the tree to see the world/When the gusts came around to blow me down/Held on as tightly as you held onto me/Held on as tightly as you held onto me__…_

The music picked up for the last time as she looked over at me.

_And I built a home/for you/for me_

I watched her fingers dance over the keys as she repeated the words she had turned into the chorus. She had altered the poem to make it work as a song. She looked at my words and saw this potential. She looked at _me_ and saw this potential.

_Until it disappeared/from me/from you_

She smiled as she sang one of the last lines, I suppose she was happy that the song had in fact worked. She was nervous when she started to sing but she wasn't anymore.

_And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust__…__.._

The music faded for good as she took her hands off the keys. She didn't do anything for a minute or so, she just stared at the keys while she breathed deeply and then she finally looked at me. "What did you think?" She asked.

I stared at her forgetting how to form words aloud. I loved it, I was so happy she had found that poem and had done what she did. What she had just done was intimate, she had taken something that was private to me, exceptional about her and she had shared it. She put herself out there in a way I had never been able to.

I watched as her eyes started to dart and she began to fidget. "So I'm really sorry if you hated it, in my mind there is a lot of strings but I don't know how to play the cello or the violin, so I'm sorry if you hated it. Or if you hate me for riffling through your things, I'm sorry." She shook her head again. "I'm still not though, you try to reduce yourself to a Ken doll and you're so much more than that Eric. It frankly pisses me off that you have all of these things to offer and you hide it, you have layers, like a parfait and I've never heard anyone say no I don't want no parfait." She took a deep breath in between her rambles. "Donkey said that from _Shrek_, I don't know why I quoted that, I think you're really freaking me out by not saying anything, are you having some sort of episode?" She questioned.

I was speechless, I literally couldn't think of anything to say. No one since my parents had actively wanted me to be something better than I was. I knew Pam and LaFayette wanted something better for me but it wasn't their job to seek it out. For the first time in a long I saw a different life, something other than two dollar shots, tight tank tops and endless one night stands. I saw a life where I could be a writer, a song writer, a musician, whatever I wanted and people would actually want to hear it.

"Okay Eric, you really need to say something because I'm having some sort of episode." She stood quickly and started pacing in front of me.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

"What?" She said as she stopped moving.

"Thank you for doing that." I said standing and walking over to her. "It was beautiful." I pulled her into a hug.

"I'm glad you liked it." She said with a hint of relief.

"When you took it off my desk is this what you planned to do with it?" I asked.

She shrugged not looking at me as I rubbed her arms. "I was just so curious, I grabbed the first thing I saw. I didn't even read it till I went to bed that night. What's it about?"

I looked at her for a long time before I answered. "I think it's about wanting something more," I looked around her house, "than this."

"Can I read more of your writing?" She asked.

"Don't push your luck." I grinned at her. "How did you find that song in that poem? It wasn't even finished." I said pulling her onto the couch so were sitting nearly on top of one another.

She smiled warmly. "You can find anything in everything Eric. If you're a pessimist you'll find the down side, an optimist the bright side. If you're a musician you'll find the music and if you're a writer you'll find the words."

There was a heavy pause between us. "What if you're lost?" I asked her.

She looked over my face, her eyes shifting back and forth while she thought of something to say, finally she shrugged. "Then you'll find your way." She moved closer to me and grabbed my hands. "Whatever you do stop hiding. Stop hiding your voice, stop hiding your words, share it in every way possible because you're too incredible not to. Because life isn't just for ourselves, we're here to better the world, to change history for the better. I know it's not ending world famine or disease but you have no idea the power words can have on a person. If you can leave this world changing one person for the better wouldn't it be worth it?"

I said nothing as she stared at me.

"So stop hiding Eric Northman." I felt my chest tighten and the fear rise but for the first time it had an adversary, fighting against my fear were feelings I didn't want to acknowledge, feelings I couldn't register because I wasn't ready, because if I did I would run. All I could do was ignore them until I was strong enough to face them and I was not strong. "You're not your face or your body and you don't have to be your father. Be yourself because you are amazing."

I leaned in quickly with the intent to kiss her but the fear grabbed me hard and I hesitated for just moment. I watched as her eyes went wide and her breath hitched as she realized what I was doing and she pulled away slightly. I wanted the kiss but I wasn't sure if I was ready for everything that might come after. I was held in place by the 'what if'.

My body started to move towards even if my brain wasn't sure and when our lips were about two inches apart we were interrupted. "Sook?" Jason's voice echoed.

Sookie pulled away even quicker than before and moved her head to look past me. "Yeah Jay?" She said with a mild annoyance in her voice.

I sighed and closed my eyes tightly feeling embarrassed, feeling frustrated, feeling stunted. Feeling all the things I hated feeling. All the things I purposely avoided having feelings for anyone for.

"Am I interrupting something." Jason asked.

Yes.

"No." Sookie said getting up and going towards him. "I thought you were out."

"What was that music?" He asked ignoring her statement.

"Something Eric wrote." She motioned to me.

"Really?!" Jason's face lit up and he walked towards me. Say what you would about Jason Stackhouse but he loved and understood music. "It sounded awesome."

"Sookie wrote the music." I said hating this kind of attention.

"Music and lyrics team. I might have to employ you both when I take over Sonnet." He smiled looking in between Sookie and I.

"If you take over Sonnet." I corrected him.

"Yeah." He said quietly as he nodded and looked at me. "Are those my pants?"

I looked down at them. "Yeah, I got wet in the rain and Sookie lent them to me until my stuff was dry, which they probably are now." I stood and walked out of the room to change. I realized as I put on my pants and shirt that my fear and my hesitation had cost me my shot with Sookie. I closed my eyes and sighed before exiting the laundry.

I blamed Sookie. This was her fault, all these feelings and stupid thoughts I had. If she never came back to Bon Temps I'd be fine and I would never know how beautiful her voice was or what she looked like in a tight red dress or that she could bake or what she smelled like and all these other stupid useless bullshit facts I had catalogued. "Stupid Sookie." I muttered as I went back into the living room.

Toby was still asleep as Jason and Sookie quietly played 'Blackbird'. They were laughing their way through the words as he strummed his guitar and she found the notes on the piano. The rain had stopped and the gentle hum of electricity suddenly coursed through the house which caused them to stop playing. "I was gonna watch _True Detective_, you guys wanna join me?" asked Jason.

"Sure." Sookie said getting up from the piano, walking towards me as she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the TV room.

And that was how I wasted eight hours of my life, watching a decent TV show trying to ignore the fact that she never let go of my hand.

* * *

**I know Eric is frustrating but his feelings about relationships and love are modelled a lot after my own. I would really like guys and they would like me back and I would want to be with them but my fear and pessimism would get the best of me and I would bolt every time. I couldn****'****t handle the idea of someone hating me for the things they once loved me for so I never tried because it was easier that way. No hopes got up and no one got hurt other than me. I couldn****'****t control the way I felt and its the most fucking frustrating thing ever because it takes forever to get over and it just leads to nothing but disappointment. Eric is working his way through that shit, give him time. **

**I also think what Sookie did was terribly romantic. I know I'm bias because I wrote it but I know if anyone did that for me there would be stars in my eyes. I****'****m not a song writer so I didn't write the song that was sung in this chapter. The song is called 'To Build A Home' by The Cinematic Orchestra. If you've never heard it do yourself and favour and listen to it. It's an insanely beautiful song that I've linked on my profile. **

**The name of the next chapter is called "White Wedding". **

**I****'****ve also linked a photo of Sookie****'****s dress on my profile. **

**Reviews are my favourite. The more reviews I get the more attention my story gets and I want to share it with as many people as I can because I love it. Please leave a review if you can. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. White Wedding

**A/N: Thank you to Katherine, xXLoveBloodXx, bttrflybelle, BlueMonday2387, ashmo2000, ericplenty, bloodamber, 34ken and guest for all the lovely reviews. I****'****m so happy to hear everyone loved the last chapter as much as I did. **

**There are Harry Potter spoilers in this so if you haven****'****t read the books or seen the movies, shit is about to get ruined. **

**I****'****ve edited this chapter myself so please excuse all grammar and spelling. **

**I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

**ERIC**

The Shreveport Ribfest was a huge deal in Renard Parish. It was a week long event that nearly everyone in Bon Temps attended. It was Thursday and because everyone was at Ribfest, Sookie and I only had one table. She sat on a bar stool staring intently at her phone as she nursed the beer I had put in front of her.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"I'm reading." She replied as she quickly shot a glance over to her table. The customers were happily eating away.

"Reading what?"

"Erotic _Harry __P__otter_ fan fiction." She said as if there was nothing ludicrous about her sentence.

"Who's the pairing?" I asked as I leaned over the bar.

She glanced up with an amused smile on her face. "Snape and Harry."

I shook my head. "I reject that pairing."

"Why?" She asked nearly offended.

"It doesn't make any sense, everyone knows Snape and Harry hated each other and then after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry respected Snape too much to muddle up their relationship with something as common as sex. Not to mention Snape died."

She smiled at me.

"What?" I questioned.

She continued to say nothing and just smile.

"I'm a huge fan of _Harry __P__otter_ okay!" I said defensively, "I've seen all the movies like a million times and I've read each book at least seven times." I threw up my arms and turned away from her pretending to clean a glass. "Whatever, _Harry __P__otter_ is cool." I could feel myself becoming flustered, my cheeks going red.

She shrugged innocently. "I didn't say anything." She went back to reading when her phone started vibrating in her hand.

Her eyes lit up and I knew who was calling even before she answered it. "Bill." She cooed into her phone. "How are you?" She smiled.

She listened to him for a few moments before her face fell. "What do you mean?" She said wearily as she shot me a worried look. She stood, walked out the front door and began pacing as she talked rapidly into her phone.

I watched her closely as I tried to figure out what they were talking about, whatever it was, it wasn't good.

She finally stormed back into the bar, downed the entire beer in one go and huffed.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Guess who can't make it to Holly's wedding?" She said smoothing out her ponytail with her hand. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked exhausted all of a sudden.

"Bill?" I said.

She made a noise of utter frustration. "He promised, he promised he'd be back for the wedding." She shook her head. "I think deep down I knew this would happen. People controlled by their jobs never keep their promises."

"Do you think maybe you're with Bill and want to hold onto him so badly because he reminds you of your father?" I asked.

"Ew, gross." She shook her head.

"I don't mean physically, I mean they sound similar personality wise, maybe deep down you believe that if you can please Bill, change Bill, it'll make you feel better about all the times you failed with your father." I looked at her talking half bullshit, half what I remembered from psychology textbooks.

"When did you become so versed in the theories of Freud?" She spat at me, a dark look flashing behind her eyes.

I stared at her not wanting to make her more mad than she already was. "Look, fuck him." I said, "bring someone else and we'll have a good time. It is what it is and you'll work it out when he gets back." I paused. "Or not, maybe you're trying to hold onto something that's not worth holding on to. Maybe it's just a summer romance and nothing more." Regardless if she didn't love Bill like she could have, she still cared about him. I didn't want her to think I was bad mouthing him again because that would push her away from me.

I had to show Sookie that I was an option. That I wasn't that silly man whore she had met at the beginning of the summer. I had to be sure that she wanted me. Sookie was kind, caring and forthcoming with me but I didn't want to be one of those guys that confused friendliness with attraction. If I did this slowly enough maybe I'd be ready for it when it actually happened.

She looked up at me with a worn look on her face and shook her head. "You know when you think someone is just into something as you are and then the sneaking suspicion underneath all your hope that they might not be starts to come true? That's how I feel right now."

I nodded. "I know how you feel. I had this friend in the seventh grade and we were both into _Pokemon_ but he only cared about the first 153 Pokemon, his love didn't go as deep as mine who knew about all seven hundred of them."

She cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"I may look like a hot clueless slice of man candy but the truth is my head is filled with hundreds of random facts about _Pokemon_ and _Harry Potter_." I shrugged.

She laughed, her smile spreading wide across her face. "There it is." I said triumphantly and I brushed her cheek with the backside of my hand. She leaned in my touch.

She breathed in deep and shook her head. "You're right. This is fine. I just won't worry about Bill and I'll wait till he gets back and we'll sort everything out or we won't. Everything will be fine." She smile and stood, walking over to her table to clear away plates and drop off the bill.

It was the only table we had all night and we spent the rest of our shift together reading the dirtiest Harry Potter fan fiction she could find.

**SOOKIE**

Merlotte's was closed the Saturday of Holly's wedding so everyone could attend. The wedding didn't start till four and I had just finished setting my hair in some rollers. I wrapped my plush red velvet robe around me and went downstairs.

I had invited Jason as my date when Bill informed me he couldn't come. Jason was out with Hoyt pre-gaming, as he had put it, for the wedding.

I poured myself a glass of wine and headed into the TV room to watch the eight episodes of _The Real Housewives of Orange County_ I had recorded. I snuggled into the couch and started to get excited about the wedding.

My anger for Bill had subsided and it no longer bothered me that he wasn't coming. Eric was right, maybe I was taking my relationship with Bill a little too seriously. It wasn't because I wanted to be with a man like my father but because Bill was the type of man my parents would like. Deep down I wanted to be with Bill because my father would like him and my mother would adore him. Regardless of my relationship with my parents their approval was insanely important to me.

They had given me everything, I couldn't not care. It was probably why I was so angry at them all the time, they cared about the things that didn't matter and ignored the things that did.

As long as I was with someone they liked they might ease up on the marriage talk. If they thought I might eventually marry him, I could live a life out of their shadow. The Compton name was respected, it carried weight and if I had to give away the Stackhouse name my father would be happy with the Compton name I took.

My parents were insanely old fashioned and in our circle, marriage, for a woman at least, wasn't a choice, it was inevitability and I felt my time to get married was getting shorter and shorter. I hated it, I did not want to get married but the one thing I had learned about having money was that ones choices were rarely ones own. Things were expected of me, my money bestowed responsibly and an image that needed to be upheld. All I could hope for was someone that not only I liked but my parents liked too. I thought that person may have been Bill but I wasn't so sure anymore but no matter how many times I thought of ending it with him, I couldn't let him go.

My thoughts and show were interrupted by Eric. "Hey." He said startling me.

"How did you get in here?" I asked trying to cover myself even though my robe was huge and did a fantastic job of covering me.

"Your house has these things called doors." He said like a smart ass before sitting down beside me. "Why are you watching this shit?" He asked as he took the remote from me and stopped my show. He was dressed in a black suit, a white dress shirt underneath, no tie, the first three buttons undone and he had shiny black dress shoes on.

"Why are you here?" I asked him as I took a sip of my wine. "The wedding doesn't start for another four hours."

"Well it's nice to see you too Stackhouse." He said sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just didn't expect you." I said honestly.

"Yeah, I thought the wedding was at noon but it's not and I was already dressed so I figured I'd come hang out with you. You want to watch a movie?" He asked taking off his suit jacket and draping it over the side of the couch.

I nodded putting my wine glass on the coffee table. "I know exactly which movie I want to watch with you." I stood and went looking through all the movies we had. "It's an important movie to me, my favourite in fact." I found it, plucking it off the shelf and walking over to him. "It's also my favourite song." I handed it to him.

He held the movie in his both hands as he stared at it confused. "_That Thing You Do!_?" He looked up at me as I nodded. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Why?" I asked taking the movie from him and putting it in the player.

"I just figured it would be something like _My Brilliant Career _or _Fargo. That Thing You Do! _just doesn't seem like a _you_ kind of movie and it's your favourite song." He readjusted himself on the couch.

"I saw it when I was really young and I fell in love with it. I love music from that time and it was about the music industry which I was already immersed in. It's funny, it's romantic, it's well acted and directed and written and I just love it. Have you ever seen it before?" I asked as I sat down beside him.

He shook his head. "Only bits and pieces." He quickly checked his phone when it buzzed and sent a quick message back before placing it back in his pocket.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Just a friend." He said cryptically as he made himself comfortable.

"You realize how important it is that I'm sharing this with you right?" I shifted to look at him. "I take favourite songs and favourite movies very seriously."

"I'll let you know what I think at the end." He said as the movie began.

It had been some time since I had watched the movie and I watched it transfixed. I barely moved as I felt that comforting feeling of knowing that something you love was still worth loving. "What did you think?" I asked once it ended.

He smiled. "Yeah, I liked it."

I felt my smile fall. "That's it?"

"What? It's the first time I've seen it, I'm not going to have this existential relationship with it like you have." He stood and shook out his jacket. "I liked it, I thought it was really good." He smiled. "You need to get ready." He said calmly as he held out his hand and helped me up.

I did my make-up, making my complexion more even, nude eyeshadows, winged eyeliner and blood red lips. I let my hair out of the rollers so it fell around my shoulders in soft waves. I walked out of the bathroom and into my closet to slip into my dress as Eric laid on my bed and watched TV. "So what's your favourite song and movie?" I asked him.

"Favourite movie is _Cool Hand Luke_ and my favourite song is 'Suffragette City' by David Bowie." He answered without much thought. He knew what he liked.

I grabbed my black five inch velvet pumps and walked out of my closet. "Good choices." I commended him on his taste as I turned my back to him. "Can you zip me up?" I asked him as I shivered slightly feeling the air conditioning blow against my naked back.

I could hear him shuffle off the bed and he slowly did up the dress letting the back of his index finger skim my skin the whole way up. "What happened to the sexy dress?" He asked as he turned me so I was facing him.

I shrugged. "It doesn't feel appropriate anymore." I said honestly. I was wearing a capped sleeved dress with blue and white flowers patterned all over it, it had pockets and stopped about three inches above the knee. Wearing the red dress seemed silly to me now, with no boyfriend it would look like I was a crazy party girl looking for a hook-up. I smoothed the dress out over my hips. "This seems like a better choice for a wedding." I said.

"It's nice." Eric said quietly as he looked me up and down. He didn't elaborate any further and he turned to sit on my bed and put his shoes on. I walked across the room and grabbed my purse off one of the chairs in front of my fireplace. I slipped Holly and Andy's present inside.

"Sook?" Jason asked barging in to my room.

I turned. "Yeah Jay?" I asked starting to get really annoyed with his inability to knock.

He was straightening out his suit, black jacket, pants, dress shirt, tie, shoes, black everything. "If you saw me in this suit, would you want to fuck me?" He asked me.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Jason, I am your sister."

A wave of realization flooded his face and he nodded. "Right." He kept nodding and his attention fell on Eric. "If you were a chick and saw me in this suit, would you want to fuck me?"

Eric stood and gave Jason a good look over and nodded. "Yeah, probably."

Jason smiled triumphantly and walked out of my room.

"I'll call a cab." I said taking out my phone as I looked up at Eric. "You look really handsome today." I said with a warm smile as I walked past him and headed downstairs.

"Thanks." He replied as he caught up to me.

Jason was at the door when I put my phone back in my purse after ordering the taxi. Jason was speaking to whoever was at the door before he looked up at me. "Sook it's for you."

With a furrowed brow I walked over and placed my shoes and purse on the ground. "Yes?" I asked the man standing on the porch with a small package in his hand.

"I have a package for Sookie Stackhouse, are you her?" He asked.

I looked passed him and saw the UPS truck parked in front of the house. I nodded. "Yeah that's me." I signed for the package and closed the door once the man had left.

"What is that?" Eric asked.

I shrugged. "I have no idea." I walked into the kitchen and pulled the tab to open the small box. Out tumbled an even tinier Harry Winston box. I quickly opened it to find a pair of pear shaped drop earrings. I felt a smile spread across my face and I laughed in surprise. At that moment my phone started ringing, I placed the box down and ran to go answer it.

"I love them!" I squealed into the phone. Diamonds were diamonds and getting a gift like that made me squeal.

"You got them." Bill sounded relieved. "You have no idea how bad I feel that I can't come tonight so I thought I'd give you a little something so I was there in spirit."

"It's very thoughtful." I paused. "I'm sorry I was so angry the other day, it's just," I paused and sighed, "I miss you."

"I miss you too. I'll be back in a couple of days." I could hear him smiling. "I love you."

I held the phone to my ear, still not being able to say it back. "Thank you Bill."

"You are very welcome, go have fun. I'll be think about you."

"I'll be thinking about you too." I said before I hung up my phone and went back to the kitchen.

"Don't you think these are a little obvious? Tacky even?" Eric asked looking at the earrings as I took them from his hands and put them on my ears.

"You're just jealous cause I got diamonds and you didn't." I said going to look at myself in the mirror.

"Nailed it, that's the exact reason." Eric said sarcastically.

A horn honked. "Let's go." Jason said as he moved around us both and headed towards the door.

I walked away from Eric not wanting him to talk about the earrings or Bill anymore than he had. I slipped my shoes on, grabbed my purse and locked up. I sat in the middle and we were all silent for the duration of the cab ride over.

We pulled up in front of the Bellefleur property. Everything was covered in white satin and twinkly lights were wrapped around everything for when the sun went down. I could see two white tents set up out back, one smaller, for the ceremony and a larger one, for the reception. It looked like half the town was already there.

Eric slipped out first and held out his hand to me, helping me out of the car. He extended his arm out to me, "the ground is uneven, you're going to fall in those." He motioned to my shoes. I walked forward and took his arm as we slowly headed towards the party. We were more than half way there when Eric finally spoke again. "I like you in high heels." He remarked.

"Why?" I asked carefully watching the ground.

"Because you're the size of a normal person now, I don't feel like I'm talking to a hobbit." His playful grin spread across his face.

I slapped him in the arm. "Shut up, my tininess is cute and adorable." I said as we finally reached level ground.

"Well you are adorable." He agreed as we were greeted by Pam and Tara and everyone took their seats.

The ceremony was brief, the kind of wedding ceremony I liked, while Andy was handsome and Holly was beautiful. I had never seen her look so happy and it was nice to see two people getting married because they actually loved each other.

Much to everyone's delight cocktails were served immediately after the ceremony and we all work on our pre-reception open bar buzz while photos were taken.

We waited in line to congratulate the new couple on being husband and wife. "Sookie Stackhouse, I remember when you were little." Andy said giving me an extremely awkward hug.

I laughed. "Yep, I was tiny and now I'm not as tiny." I said with a shrug not knowing how to keep explaining ageing to people.

I moved onto Holly. "You look beautiful." I said as I hugged her. "Thank you so much for inviting me."

"Thank you so much for coming." She looked at Eric who was speaking to Andy before she looked back at me. "Where's Bill?"

"He's still in New York, he sends his best and he's sorry he couldn't be here." I smiled as I reached into my purse and handed her an envelope. "I didn't want to leave this lying around. I got you exactly what you asked for." I smiled.

She accepted the envelope with a smile. "Is it new hot tub kind of money?" She asked with wide eyes.

"It's eight new hot tubs kind of money." I said with a laugh. "Congratulations Holly."

"Thank you." She cooed as we hugged a final time before it was Eric's turn to speak to her. He also slipped her an envelope.

Rich people and our love of envelopes.

I waited for him before going to search for our table. Holly was kind enough to seat Eric, Tara, Pam, LaFayette, Jason, Hoyt and myself together.

Dinner was served promptly, the speeches weren't too long and the drinks were abundant. I barely had to chance to hang out with anyone I knew because the folks of Bon Temps kept cornering me. They had so many questions, How's Bill? Why wasn't he here? Why was I there with Eric? Where were my parents? Was I planning on staying in Bon Temps? Was I pregnant? I usually answered the last question with a nice long sip of whatever I was drinking.

The night turned out to be long and exhausting. It wasn't really what I would've called a good time.

The party was dwindling down and I wanted to go home. The alcohol was making me tired, heavy and the food I ate wasn't sitting right. Jason had disappeared and the last time I saw Eric it looked like he was trying to pick some blonde chick. I hated the jealousy I felt, it tore through me like fire at the thought of him being with another girl and I hated myself because I had no right to feel it.

Just as I pulled out my phone to call a cab and hand appeared in front of me. "I believe I owe you a dance, Miss Stackhouse."

I looked up at Eric who standing behind me, his hand was out waiting for me to except, one arm behind his back like he was a Disney prince. It made sense that he would wait until almost everyone was gone before he would dance with me. He hadn't danced with anyone all night.

I smiled as I took his hand. "I'm Miss Stackhouse now?" I questioned as he led me to the dance floor.

He moved me expertly so my right hand was in his left and my left hand was on his shoulder. "For the next three minutes you are." He looked up at the DJ and nodded as Joe Tex began to play.

I laughed in shock at his choice of song realizing his musical taste was way more vast than I had originally suspected. This was not a song many people picked to slow dance to.

Eric began lip syncing to the song in an over exaggerated way making me giggle furiously. He wasn't singing, I couldn't hear his voice but he was having a lot of fun making a fool out of himself as he wiggled his body to match the outlandish way he was lip syncing. He moved me quickly so he could spin me out and brought me back him so my body was flush against his. My right hand now gripping the back of his neck and my left hand still in his pushed up against his chest.

His lips were right at my ear and very quietly, not with the confidence I wish he had but with the confidence he was building, sang to me.

_Because the love you save today/May very well be your own_

I looked up at him in shock. "You sang." LaFayette was right, his voice was beautiful and I borderline hated him for sharing it with me because it was only a taste. Now that I had heard it I wanted to OD on it but something told me, in my gut, that single line was all I was going to get. I had been hearing people sing my whole life, raw talent right in front me. I understood pitch and tone and what made a singer good and what made a singer great and Eric's voice was outstanding.

"You sang for me, I figured I should return the favour." He said looking down at me with a smile.

"More." I said like a caveman. "Sing to me again." I was nearly begging him.

"Baby steps Miss. Stackhouse."

"And you can dance." I stated.

"Of course I can dance." He said like it was insulting that I ever assumed that he couldn't. "My mother made sure of it. She said that the right type of woman would be impressed if I knew how to dance." He smiled warmly. "She wanted the best for me and she wanted a lot of grandchildren. No more of her own but she wanted to me find a girl,"

"One that appreciated that you could dance." I said.

He laughed. "Right and she wanted me to make sure that girl had and was everything she wanted to be and that we were happy together and then we'd add eight or nine kids to the mix." He laughed again but more quietly than before.

"Your mother sounds like an amazing woman." I said as I moved his chin so he was looking into my eyes.

Sadness swept his face as he brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "She'd be so disappointed in me."

"Eric, you're twenty-eight, you have plenty of time. There are so many women out there, the one who's right for you might be sitting out there waiting for you to come along or she might crash into your life. She could be at this wedding-"

He cut me off. "Or even right in front of me." He said softly.

I stared into his eyes as I swallowed hard and my heart pumped so fast it felt like it might burst. "Eric," I sputtered out.

"Keep your feet on the ground." He said to me as he dipped me just as the song ended. Most people wanted to raise one of their legs when they were dipped but keeping both of my feet on the ground gave me more balance and allowed for Eric to be more gracefully. He pulled me up and stepped away from me. "I've made my exception for the night."

"I'm not the rule then?" I questioned trying to ignore the comment he had just made, trying not to think about the almost kiss after I sang to him, trying to reason with myself that no matter what he said or did Eric was a man with a rigid set of rules and there were no exceptions. It didn't matter how special I thought I was. After we slept together it would break our friendship or he'd pretend like it never happened, neither were an option.

"The rules don't apply to you Stackhouse." He said slinging his arm over my shoulder. "You want to leave?" He asked. "Where's Jason?" He scanned the few remaining guests.

"I'm assuming balls deep in some girl who's barely out of high school and can't spell the word orange." I gathered my things and slipped off my shoes. I took out my phone to call a cab.

"I already called one." He said placing his hand over mine.

"Jason can find his own way." I said moving towards the street. Holly and Andy had disappeared about an hour earlier and with all our friends gone there was no one to say goodbye to.

We walked quickly up to the road and slipped inside the cab that was waiting for us. Once we were settled I looked up at Eric. "What happened to the girl you were talking to earlier? I thought you were going to take her home." I said awkwardly.

"Which girl?" He sounded genuinely confused. "Oh, you mean Gwen, yeah, no, she's an old friend. We were just catching up." I leaned up against him as he started to stroke my hair. "Next Saturday is Glitter." He said out of nowhere.

"What's a Glitter? Like the Mariah Carey movie?"

He laughed. "Glitter is a gay club in Shreveport and we all go once a year. I'm inviting you."

"Doesn't everyone have to work next Saturday?" I asked looking at him as we pulled up to my house. He gave the driver the money that was owed.

"It's been taken care of." He said as he helped me out of the car.

He followed me up the steps, his weight made the boards creak underneath him and I turned to face him after I had unlocked the door. "You wanna come in?" I asked pointing behind me.

He shook his head. "Not tonight. Toby's been left alone all day." He shoved his hands into his pockets nervously.

"You can bring Toby over." I said really wanting him to come over.

He shook his head for the second time. "Naw, I think I need some alone time." He took a step forward and lightly kissed the corner of my mouth so that more of his lips where on mine than my cheek. "I'll text you tomorrow Stackhouse." He said quietly as he turned away from me and quickly ran down the steps, out of sight.

I walked into my house feeling dazed. The kiss had knocked all the wind out of me and I was struggling to breath. Why would he do that? Was he upping his game because he knew the summer was ending and he only had so much time to bed me? He realized long ago that his charm wasn't going to work and now he was trying to make me fall in love with him?

The worst part was it was working. I wasn't in love with Eric but I could feel myself falling for him. I was falling for a man I knew was incapable of that emotion and I couldn't fall in love with the man who was already in love with me.

Wasn't that always the way?

"Whose got you all hot and bothered?" Jessica's voice slurred.

I looked up at her to find her topless standing in front of me, luckily she had panties on. "Jesus, could you please put of some fucking clothes." I said averting my eyes, now knowing where my brother went.

"Is my nudity offending you?" She asked innocently.

"It's disgusting me, actually." I could sense her approaching me as I flattened myself against the door.

"Now, I know it wasn't my asshole of a brother who put the flush in those cheeks, so my guess is it was the stray dog next door. You've trained him so well, he even turned me down." She ran her fingers up and down my arms.

"Eric and I are just friends." I said trying to move away from her but she had pinned me to the door, her breasts pushed up against me.

She ran her thumb along my bottom lip. "The smudging of your lipstick would suggest otherwise." She smiled as she tilted my head up and ran her lips along my jawline. "It's too bad you're such a cunt," she emphasized the 'T' sound in the word, "because you are exactly my type."

I could smell the whiskey strong on her breath and she was breathing heavily, she was drunker than I had ever seen her. I knew Jessica was a bitch, she was spoiled, vain and just an all around terrible person but this was something new, something I didn't know she was capable of. I was genuinely frightened of her. "Jessica, I need you to step away from me." I said putting my hands on her shoulder and pushing her away.

"Jess!" Jason shouted from somewhere in the house causing her to look away from me.

She smiled, turning and headed upstairs before she looked back at me. "In a while crocodile." She said before she disappeared completely.

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding in. "What the fuck?" I said gasping for air and running upstairs to change into some shorts, an oversized t-shirt and removed my earrings, locking my bedroom door behind me.

I was creeped out and I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep with Jessica in the house. I opened my bay doors and carefully climbed down the lattice. I ran to Eric's house banging on the front door. He opened it wearing nothing but black sweatpants. "Stackhouse? Are you okay?" He questioned his eyes looking over my face.

I told him the story about Jessica. "What the fuck?" He said running his hand through his hair.

"She may just be drunk so her bitch level is through the roof but she freaked me right the fuck out." I said as I went to hug him.

"Eric?" A woman's voice called out for him. "Is everything okay?"

I parted from him and saw the woman he had been talking to at the wedding, Gwen, standing at the entrance of the foyer. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt and that was it.

"I'm sorry." I said shaking my head, tucking my hair behind my ears. "I didn't realize you had someone over." I said feeling stupid and betrayed that he had lied to me. "I'll go now."

"Stackhouse," He grabbed my arm. "Stay in my room, I'm not letting you go back there with that thing in your house."

I looked over at him and then over at Gwen. "I don't mind." She smiled warmly.

I nodded and rushed past them both getting into Eric's room as fast as I could. I closed the door and wrapped myself in his bedding, breathing in his scent, knowing he wasn't going to be sleeping next to me that night and instead had chosen someone else. It hurt worst than it should have and solidified my suspicion that Eric would always be Eric and I would never be his exception.

**ERIC**

I walked back into my living room running my hands through my hair as I looked up at Gwen, the girl who I had not seen in eight years.

"That was her then? The girl you love?" Gwen asked as she took a sip of her whiskey and rubbed Toby's ears.

I looked at her with a heavy sigh and nodded. "Yeah, that's her."

* * *

**So that was chapter fourteen. What did you all think? **

**The next chapter is called ****'****Closer****' ****and I****'****m not sure if it****'****s going to be a really long chapter or if it****'****ll split into two. If I write the two smaller ones you****'****ll get the first half fast but you****'****ll have to wait longer for the second. If I write the longer one then the wait will generally be longer. Let me know if any of you have a preference and if I hear nothing I****'****ll just make my own decision. **

**The song Eric and Sookie dance to is called The Love You Save (May Be Your Own) by Joe Tex. I suggest you listen to it if you can, it****'****s linked on my profile. **

**I****'****ve also linked Sookie****'****s dress if you want to see what it looks like. **

**Please review if you can. It makes my day. It really does. **


	15. Closer Part 1

**A/N: Katherine, Rachel, ap630, MelodiusNocturn, ashmo2000, xXLoveBloodXx, outinritefield1, MelodyAnderson, ericplenty and the guest that reviewed, thank you so much. I know I always say this but I love the reviews so much. **

**So I decided to break the chapters into two parts. I can write 4,000 words faster than 8,000 and the next chapter is going to be a hard one to write. Sorry this one took so long, it is Canadian Thanksgiving and I had to see the families. **

**There is drug use in this chapter. Just wanted to let you all know just incase it offends someone. **

**This chapter and he next are from Eric****'****s POV because the next couple are going to be mainly from Sookie****'****s POV. **

**I****'****ve edited this chapter myself. **

**I hope you all like the chapter!**

* * *

**ERIC**

I caught Sookie trying to sneak out at eight-thirty the next morning. She was tip-toeing slowly across the foyer. If I hadn't seen her I wouldn't have known she was there but I slept on the couch and was up at dawn so it was easy to catch her.

Her hair was a mess and her make-up was smudged around her eyes. "Where are you going?" I asked, startling her. She stopped on a dime and closed her eyes tight, red flooding her cheeks.

She turned to face me. "Hey." She pursed her lips together and walked towards me. "How are you?"

I nodded slowly. "I'm tired. How are you?"

She rubbed her calf with her foot. "Tired." She laughed awkwardly before she sighed. "I need to go home and cuss out Jason. Jessica is never coming in our house ever again and I need to make sure that's absolutely clear." She was shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking at every other point in the room other than me.

"Do you want to stay for breakfast?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm gonna go, I don't want to infringe on you anymore than I already have." She backed away from me and headed towards my front door. "Thanks again." She waved and disappeared from sight.

I didn't try to stop her, I sighed when I heard the front door close. I looked up and saw Gwen coming out of my kitchen with two cups of coffee in her hands. "She was jealous you know, she feels awkward because she thinks we had sex."

"Maybe." I said trying not to find hope in her words. Sookie had just woken in a place she wasn't entirely familiar with after she had a bizarre encounter with a person she hated which had left her rattled. She could have still been off from the night before and she had stumbled upon Gwen and me, she may have felt awkward or even bad if she thought she may have cock blocked me.

Or she _was_ jealous but it was unwise to think about such things.

"Thank you for letting me stay here." Gwen said with a smile as she sat down beside me. Her short honey coloured bob curtained her face. Her features were small and soft just like when we were in high school but the morning light made her look less drained than the florescent lights I remembered her best in. She looked so grown up now.

I smiled back as I grabbed the remaining mug. "You're welcome, it was really nice to see you again." I paused. "How's your mom?"

"Good, she's still an accountant, still loves Harrison Ford, still loves those pink snowballs." She laughed. "You know those cake things with the coconut?"

I laughed back and nodded. "Yeah, they're disgusting."

"Pretty much." She paused. "She's dating someone, Dave. It's weird for me but she deserves it. It's been so long since daddy." She exhaled.

I smiled at her and we sat in silence for a few moments. "Congratulations on the engagement by the way." I looked down at the modest solitaire diamond engagement ring on her finger. "Colin is a lucky man."

She smiled and stood. "You could make Sookie just as lucky if you got out of your head." She grasped my head with both of her hands and planted a kiss on the top. "I've gotta go, I have a twelve hour drive ahead of me and a two year old I miss like crazy."

"I still can't believe you're a mom." I said standing with her and walking towards the door.

"When you say it like that it seems like I should have jeans that come up to my bellybutton and one of those terrible Kate Gosselin haircuts, not a cute pixie cut but one of those oddly highlighted, dead animal kind of haircuts." Her nose scrunched up like she had smelled something rotten.

I laughed as picked up her bag and escorted her out to the car, placing her suitcase in the trunk. "You are a crazy person and don't be such a stranger." I chided her.

"Maybe you can visit me in South Carolina. My mom would love to see you." She smiled as she pulled me in for a hug. "Tell Sookie how you feel, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." She whispered in my ear.

I shook my head and pushed her away. "Go, drive home and be safe."

"Okay mom." She made a goofy face at me and I made one back as I watched her drive away.

My eyes were pulled away from Gwen's car when Sookie's red Mercedes peeled out onto the road. She was driving fast, I could only assume that Jason was no longer at home and Sookie was going out to find him.

Something in me felt off, it had for awhile but I could feel it start coming to a boiling point. I had to do something or I was going to explode and it could have horrible consequences.

The rest of the week passed quickly but every time I saw Sookie she seemed distant, passive and not present. We only made small talk, we didn't talk about Gwen, about Bill, about her past or mine or about how we were feeling. Everything was superficial, completely on the surface. We talked about what we thought of the wedding, the arrangements about how we were getting to Glitter, where we were staying, the pre-drinking situation. Nothing serious.

I had asked Arlene to take care of Toby while I was away and after I had dropped him off, I strolled into Sookie's home. She was leaning against the kitchen island looking off into space. "Hey Stackhouse." I said in the most chipper tone imaginable.

"Hey." She said like she barely registered me.

"What you thinking about?" I asked as I looked around for her bag while she stayed perfectly still.

"You know when you look at someone and think, I would probably get great satisfaction from punching you in the face?" She said in a dreamy tone.

I nodded. "Yeah, your boyfriend."

She continued like I hadn't spoken. "I feel that way about Bono."

I stared at her and just nodded. "Cool." I continued to look around. "Where's your bag, Stackhouse?"

She turned to face me. "In my room. I need you to watch me unpack and repack everything so I don't forget anything."

"What? No." I said firmly. "We are already late."

"Eric, I always forget something." She moved towards the stairs.

"And whatever you've forgotten I'm sure Tara, LaFayette, Pam or myself will have. So let's go." I said following her up the stairs into her room. She pulled her bag up on her bed and started to unzip it. "Nope." I shook my head and grabbed her bag.

"Hey!" She exclaimed.

"Get your shoes on, find your purse and lock the door. We are leaving." I shouted at her as I ran down the stairs.

"Eric! I'm not ready to go." She whined behind me.

I opened the front door and threw her bag in my trunk. I looked up at her as she stood in the middle of her doorway. "Get in the car."

"Eric!" She complained as she slipped on her shoes.

"Make like your bag and get in the car." I said moving around to the drivers side.

"Eric, I don't like this!" She slung her purse over her shoulder and closed the door. "Just let me go through the bag one more time!"

"Stackhouse, you're starting to piss me off, get in the car!" I shouted, getting in to the drivers side.

She sauntered her entire way to the passenger door. I could hear her whining, complaining and I was trying to figure out what her problem was. I figured a gay club would be her thing, I assumed it would be hard to keep her away but maybe I didn't know her as well as I thought I did. She opened the door and slipped inside with a huff. "I hate you." She spat.

"I can't say I care for you much right now either, your spoiled little rich bitch is showing. Do up your seat belt." I scolded as I started the car and it roared to life.

Sookie did nothing but sulk for the first ten minutes of the car ride. She sat in the passenger seat with a sour puss look on her face and her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Finally, in a sudden and jarring movement she fished her phone out of her purse and hooked it up to the radio. She began singing every song as loud as she could and not in a good, cute way but in grating annoying way.

After about twenty minutes of her singing, I turned down the music.

"Hey!" She wailed.

"What is your problem today?" I asked her, she was on my last nerve. I hated being annoyed with her, I hated that she was doing this on purpose, and she was, to annoy me. "Why are you acting like this?"

Sookie looked at me like I had just told her she looked fat and crossed her arms. "I'm not acting any way, I'm just trying to get pumped up before we go out." The sun was just starting to set and her skin seemed to glow in the twilight. "So are you going to see Gwen again?" She asked as casually as possible.

"One day, yeah probably." I said changing the song.

"She seemed nice. Not like your type at all." She looked out the window at the endless farmers fields instead of looking at me.

"Is this what this moodiness is all about?" I started at her as I narrowed my eyes. She didn't look at me. "I didn't sleep with Gwen if that's what you're getting so huffy about."

Her head whipped around to look at me. "I'm not all huffy." She said defensively. "Who is she anyway? You certainly looked chummy." Her tone was accusatory.

"Why do you care so much? I am not your boyfriend, Stackhouse." I took a left turn and began heading South.

"Oh, I know and thank God for that. A womanizing, emotional cripple with mommy and daddy issues, how'd lucky I'd be." The contempt was so thick in her voice it was like she was choking on the words.

I snickered. "Like I would be any luckier, a spoiled little rich girl who thinks she's better than everyone else because she doesn't need the material things in life." I made my voice go high, impersonating her. "You're such a hypocrite, you love your life and you wouldn't be able to survive without things you say you don't need. You're a liar and you talk shit to make people think you're not like all the _other_ girls. Not to mention your mommy and daddy issues. I'd be living the life dating you." I said with sarcasm.

"Fuck you!" She shouted at me.

"Fuck you too!" I shouted right back.

We were silent for nearly twenty minutes. The atmosphere in the car was so uncomfortable I wanted to escape. A part of me knew this fight was coming. Everything was so good between us it had to go bad somewhere. That was just the way things were.

She broke the silence. "You're right." She whispered. I looked over at her quickly as she wrung her hands together. "I say I don't need all this but how would I know? I've never not had it. I am a spoiled little rich girl and I lie so that I can be different, special. I _am_ like every other rich girl you've ever met." She exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry."

I looked over at her. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean the things that I said."

She shook her head. "You did and it's okay cause they were true."

I sighed. "Gwen's dad was sick the same time my mom was." I watched her cheeks flush from embarrassment as she realized that Gwen was not a fuck buddy but in fact a friend when I needed one the most. "You know when people say, 'I know what you're going through?' Gwen actually did." I stopped for a moment as I checked my left lane before crossing over. "She was a cheerleader, a year old than me and popular while I was an outcast of sorts. We never spoke to each other at school, not once. LaFayette and Pam never knew I had even spoken to Gwen till years after high school. Pam and LaFayette were always there for me but they couldn't really understand, how could they?" I shrugged. "Gwen is friends with Holly's sons and the Bellefleur house was too packed for her to stay there so I offered her a room at my place." I looked over as I tried to read her blank face. "That's it, end of story."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" She questioned, she sounded irritated.

"I didn't know I had to." I said honestly as she stared ahead and processed the information I had given her. "Why are you so angry about her staying with me?" I asked as softly as possible.

"I'm not angry, I was embarrassed." Her voice was still quiet. "I thought I interrupted something and it just made me feel awkward." She breathed in deep and a small smile spread across her lips. "But now that I know I didn't interrupt anything I don't feel awkward anymore. I just feel silly for saying all those stupid things I said." She shook her head and rubbed her face with her hand.

And there is was, she wasn't jealous, just awkward. "The things that you said weren't silly, they were true too."

We didn't speak for the rest of the ride and got to the motel LaFayette rented a little after nine. I took both Sookie and my bags out of the trunk and we headed to the room.

Sookie knocked on the door and LaFayette answered. He did not disappoint, he was dressed as a what could only be described as a pirate. His pants were red, tight and shiny, his shirt was white and ruffled, his over coat was black, satin, too short in the front and had long tails in the back. His shoes were black leather pirate boots, he had a dark curly wig on and a red satin bandana tied around his head. He had two stripes of white paint across one of his cheeks, bright red lips and red and gold eyelids. "Where the fuck have you two been?"

"Holy fuck," Sookie said looking between LaFayette and I, "it's eighties night isn't it?" She sounded unbelievably excited as she looked at me with wide eyes and a smile a mile long. She pushed past LaFayette and into the room. I could hear her repeat 'Oh my God' over and over again.

"Fucking in the car?" LaFayette cocked an eyebrow at me as he sipped his drink.

"Dare to dream." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I made my way into the room. It was a simple, small space, two queen beds and a cot. Tara and Pam had already calmed one bed and LaFayette had claimed the cot so I threw our bags on the remaining bed.

Sookie and Tara had already disappeared inside the bathroom while Pam was looking through her suitcase. She was pulling out dresses, pantyhose and shoes. She was wearing bright neon green leggings, a tight black lycra swimsuit which cut very low in the front and back, white leg warmers, white heels and her hair was crimped, teased and pulled into a side ponytail. Her lips and cheeks were bright pink and her eyelids were painted neon green. She looked like she walked out of 1985. "Why were you so late?" She asked me over her shoulder. "Sex in the car?"

I looked between the two of them. "Do you two share a brain or something?"

They both smirked and Pam disappeared into the bathroom with everything she collected.

"Now that you're here the party can begin." LaFayette said as he humped the air punctuating each word. He pushed play on the iPod and Hot Chocolate started blasting out of the speakers.

LaFayette began dancing around as he sipped whatever concoction he had made. "You're dressed like an eighties pirate dancing to seventies funk?" I asked while I watched him.

"I am nothing if not diverse." He smiled.

I eyed him suspiciously, his smile was too aware, too grounded. "Why are you not drunk? Why is Pam not drunk?" I asked looking up at him as I swayed to the music.

"We just want a little bit of a glow, don't want to spoil the main festivities." He grinned as he bent backwards and belted out some of the words. Maybe LaFayette was a little drunk.

"Do these festivities happen to rhyme with a word that sounds like drugs?" I asked sarcastically. His grin grew and I felt a little jolt of excitement flow through me. Everyone once in awhile I liked getting 'fucked up' good and proper. "What is it? Blow? E?" I questioned as he moved towards his bag and began taking out garments coloured neon pink and bright blue.

He looked back at me. "I've invited my friend Molly." He grinned. "You bring your converse?"

I nodded.

MDMA, he had brought MDMA. I wondered if Sookie would do it. She didn't seem like a girl who was a stranger to drugs. She was bored, rich and young, what else was she going to do? If she was going to take this drug and I was going to take this drug the the entire night had changed. This drug made me touchy, horny and freakishly happy, if it made her the same way, who knows what would happen.

"Get changed." LaFayette said throwing a bunch of material at me. "You have to go commando with those pants."

I stood and quickly stripped. I was not a man who felt awkward or ashamed of being naked in front of anyone, least of all LaFayette. I pulled up the tight Lycra pants that were like a second skin and shined a bright blue before throwing the neon pink mesh tank top over my torso. "Don't you think this is a little much?" I asked looking down at myself.

"We are going to a gay bar on eighties night. I think it's just right." He looked me up and down deciding what to do next. He took some hair products out and pulled my bangs forward giving me a 'flock of seagulls' like hair style, put purple eyeshadow on and painted two thick purple lines on my cheeks. He sprayed me with something that felt like water and then preceded to cover me in glitter. "You might just be my masterpiece." He said taking a step back to observe his work. "You is a gay mans wet dream."

I laughed, standing and shaking all the extra glitter off myself as he handed me the can he sprayed me with and the glitter. "Do me." He said holding his arms out. "Are you nervous about tonight?" He asked me.

"Why would I be?" I asked starting to sprinkle him with glitter.

He shrugged. "Taking a mind altering drug with the girl you love is a recipe for disaster."

I looked up at him. "Don't use words I don't understand, LaFayette." I snapped at him, not wanting to go down the 'I love Sookie' road on this night.

"Eric you know what love is." He looked at me with that LaFayette look, like he knew everything about everything.

I sighed as I put everything down. "I don't want to talk about this, just for one night can't we just have fun? I don't want to think about anything, I just want to do." I sighed as Sookie came out of the bathroom with a glass of wine in her hand.

She was wearing a tight purple dress which was covered in sequins and ended about four inches above her knee. Her shoulders were covered by enormous shiny poofs of purple material and her shoes were shiny and purple to match. Her hair was teased, crimped and hair sprayed until it's was a gigantic blonde halo around her head. Her eyeshadow was electric purple, like mine, her cheeks were bright pink and her lips with a dark purple colour. She had an excited smile on her face.

"Christ Stackhouse, look at you." I laughed at her.

She shook her head. "No, no let's talk about you right now." A laugh escaped her lips as she took me in. "You look amazing." She fished her phone out of her purse.

"I look ridiculous." I replied.

"Shut up and selfie with me." She pushed herself up against me and aimed her phone at us. I blinked rapidly after the flash went off, trying to get my eyes to readjust.

"Goldilocks, look at me." LaFayette tapped her on the shoulder. "Close your eyes." He warned her as he began spraying her with the watery glue.

"What was that? What are you doing?" She spat out.

"I'm covering you on glitter." He said like it was obvious.

"Why?"

"You can't get into Glitter unless you're covered in glitter." Tara said lounging on the bed. She was wearing lace stockings, black ankle boots, a black poofy tulle skirt, a white lace tank top with a black leather jacket over it. Her wrists were covered in bangles and her hair was crimped and swept to one side. Her lips were red and her eyelids were covered in glitter. Very Madonna.

"Really?" She asked looking at me.

"Really, really." I said sitting down on the other bed.

Once everyone was covered in glitter, LaFayette dug around in his bag and pulled out a small metal tube. "And now the fun for the evening." He said with a twinkle in his eye. He opened the tube and dumped out five pills. They were capsules and you could see the grainy white powder inside.

"What is it?" Sookie asked.

"MDMA." Pam replied looking up at her.

She swallowed and nodded slowly. "I don't know." She looked at the five pills hesitantly.

"Have you not done it before? Are you scared?" LaFayette in a way that was soft and sweet and completely uncharacteristic to him.

She shook her head. "No, no, I've done it before it's just…" She trailed off uncomfortably as she shot me an unsure look. "I just, I don't think Bill will like it." She whispered. Everyone threw their hands up in the air and groaned.

"Sookie, Bill ain't her, Bill ain't ever here but we is. So let go and get a little closer to God with the people who love you." LaFayette looked at her with expectation as she looked up at me. I smiled softly and nodded, throwing a wink in for good measure.

A small smile spread across her face as she took one of the pills and washed it down with the water from the bottle Pam was holding.

"Yeah you do!" Tara exclaimed taking the next pill, grabbing the bottle from Sookie's hands.

I was the last one to take a pill. I stared at it for just a moment before popping it in my mouth and swallowing it with a mouth full of water.

The girls were sticking money, I.D's and their phones into their bras and purses before looking at themselves in the mirror one last time. Tara looked back at all us with a smirk. "Pardon the pun but lets roll." She flipped her hair and walked out of the door.

"Why are we leaving so early?" Sookie asked as she was pushed out by Pam.

"Cover is free until eleven." LaFayette giggled as he followed Pam.

I closed the door behind me and watched them all head for the main road. "Here we go." I whispered to myself as I took a deep breath in.

* * *

**What did you all think? A little bit of a cliffhanger, not really. **

**The song LaFayette is listen to is called ****"****Every 1****'****s A Winner****" ****by Hot Chocolate. It****'****s an awesome song, it****'****s on my profile. **

**I****'****ll try to have part 2 up as soon as possible. **

**Please review! I love the love!**

**Thanks for reading. **


	16. Closer Part 2

**A/N: Thank you to outinritefield1, BlueMonday2387, Katherine, Rachel, ap630, bloodamber, ashmo2000, babes-tastycakes, ericplenty, Shantigal and puffily for reviewing the last chapter and to everyone who followed or favourited the story. I know I say this every time but it really is appreciated.**

**Sorry it took so long to write this chapter. I wanted to get it just right. It****'****s also difficult to write a person when they are on drugs but you have to keep them coherent enough to tell a story. **

**I****t's been some time since I did MDMA and I only did it once so I'm basing their drug experience on my own. I hope it comes across well. The chapter is slightly fragmented, being on drugs is kind of like that so that****'****s what I was going for. **

**I love the eighties and I love it****'****s music, there is a lot of music in this chapter. I will have a list of all the songs at the end of the chapter and a link to all the songs on my profile.**

**This was edited by me, sorry for the mistakes. **

**I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**ERIC**

It took ten minutes to walk from the motel to the club. We walked silently, inside our own heads waiting for the drugs to take effect and for our altered state to begin.

The lineup was long but a strategically placed hundred dollar bill in the hand of the bouncer allowed us to enter the club immediately. I held out my hand as another bouncer stamped it with a smiley face and we took a step inside.

Glitter looked different than I was used to. They had put effort into making it look as if we were in the eighties. Neon lights hung on the walls, neon rope lights were lining the largest bar at the back of the club under the DJ booth and the two smaller bars on either side. Up a flight of stairs were a series of private booths that overlooked the club which were already crowded. The whole dance floor was swarmed with people who were wearing elaborate neon get ups, had large hair and borderline ghoulish makeup. The air reeked of hairspray and it almost looked like a fog of smoke hung over the dance floor. I could see people spraying it in their hair everywhere in the club.

I immediately felt uncomfortable. Everything seemed dirty like every person was covered in sweat, every surface was covered in the residue of some drug and a promise of sex hung in the air, the eyes of everyone in the club looked hungry for it.

I felt a hand grasp mine as 'Head Over Heels' began blasting out of the sound system, setting the tone for the evening. Sookie looked back at me, her eyes wide, a lazy smile on her face as she sang along with the words.

_I wanted to be with you alone/And talk about the weather/You keep your distance with a system of touch/ __And gentle persuasion_

The drug hit Sookie the fastest. Of course it would, she was the smallest, of course it would hit her first. Her other hand was stroking her dress as she breathed in and out slowly. She continued to look at me as she was dragged onto the dance floor by Tara and Pam.

She was sucked up by the crowd and I lost track of her almost instantly. There were too many people here and it was making me nervous. I willed the drugs to kick in and make me feel something different.

LaFayette walked up to me and put a bottle of water in my hands. "You're going to need this." He shouted at me.

"Thanks." I shouted back trying to stand perfectly still, trying to feel the drugs coursing through me. I cursed my height and size and knew it was going to be awhile before I felt the effects fully.

"Fantasia is here and she wants to see you. She offered us a place at her booth." LaFayette said dancing fluidly to the music. I looked down at him and saw that his pupils were blown, he was definitely feeling it.

"Did she now?" I questioned with a slight smile. Fantasia was the most famous drag queen in all of Louisiana, maybe even all the Southern States and she loved me.

"I'm gonna go talk to her, you should come." He encouraged.

I shook my head taking a sip of my water. "We have drugs, there's no need to put in an appearance for free drinks." I said looking over the dance floor for Sookie for the hundredth time. I knew it was going to be impossible to find her unless I went to find her myself.

"Go and dance with Sookie then. This is the night to make things happen Eric, even if you is on drugs, at least she'll know you feel something for her." He cocked an eyebrow.

"Or she'll think that I'm a horny douchebag on drugs trying to take advantage of her." I took another sip of water.

"I guess we'll see." He smirked as he went up a flight of stairs to the booths.

I turned my attention back to the mass of dancing bodies and gripped the handrail in front of me as I started to feel the haze descend. The haze that would keep me in a dream like state for the next 3-5 hours. I stood there and waited for the drugs to take full effect still trying, in vain, to find Sookie. Eventually I started to feel the euphoria wash over me. I felt good, calm and free of all the fear that I had been feeling over the past three months.

I finally spotted Sookie dancing terribly to 'Push It' by Salt N' Pepa. I let go of the handrail and moved onto the dance floor which was a bad idea because the moment I was on the same level as everyone else I lost her again. I decided to move in the direction I had last seen her and hope for the best.

I was intercepted by Fantasia. "Eric Northman." She hummed. Fantasia was not in an eighties costume but in her standard get up. A large blonde wig with a crazy amount of volume and huge, rounded bangs, thickly layered foundation, dark eye makeup and long fake eyelashes. Her cheeks had a dark streak of blush to heighten her cheekbones and her lips were red and shiny. Fantasia's dress was skin tight, leopard print and she was wearing a large fake breast plate to give her the illusion of breasts. Her shoes were leopard print as well and six inches high, even with the heels she was still shorter than me.

"Fantasia." I said with a happy sigh.

"Why didn't you come to say hello?" She asked placing her hands on my biceps. "Oh!" She exclaimed squeezing them. "Working out more than usual?" She smiled as she pushed herself up against me dancing to Duran Duran.

I liked Fantasia, generally she was funny and a good time but I had made the mistake of making out with her one night after too many shots of tequila. After that she had always tried to rekindle the non existent romance.

"I've been more stressed out that usual. The gym calms me." I said moving with her to the music.

"What would a man as beautiful as you have to be stressed about?" She wrapped her arms around my neck.

I looked over to where I last saw Sookie. It was like everyone on the dance floor knew I wanted to see her and had parted to exactly where she was. She was dancing lazily to the music, the poofs of her dress had started to slip and her shoulders were bare. Her smile was wide as she danced between two guys who were dressed like the characters from _Miami Vice_. Even with her ridiculous hair and outfit she was the most beautiful girl in the club.

Fantasia followed my eye line to where Sookie was and her brow furrowed "Sookie Stackhouse?" She questioned.

"You know her?" I asked.

"Everyone who's anyone in the Southern States knows who Sookie Stackhouse is. Anyone in this country who wants to be a country music artist knows who Sookie Stackhouse is. I used to party with her all the time. She's a freak." She winked and pulled me closer. "Why has Sookie Stackhouse made you so stressed?"

I huffed and pushed against her. "I think that you know."

"You love her?" She eyed me for a moment and then began laughing hysterically. "Oh please, we both know the only person you can love is me." She pulled my head down and placed a kiss firmly on my mouth. She pulled away with a shocked look on her face and her touched her shiny red lips with her fingers, her long nails were covered in glitter nail polish. "My stars." I could barely hear her in her shock. "You're in love. You can always tell with the kiss, lips don't kiss quite the same when they belong to someone else." She backed away from me and stared at me like she had just discovered a unicorn.

"Fantasia?!" Sookie shouted, pushing past me and throwing her arms around her. "How are you?" She was yelling but the yelling sounded euphoric instead of aggressive.

Fantasia hugged her back still looking at me. "I'm good girl, how are you?"

They parted and began shouting at each other pointing to the booths. "Come on." Sookie said as she tugged me through crowd and up to Fantasia's booth.

The booth wasn't really a booth it was three couches that created a U, neon lighting shining out from underneath them. In the middle was a black coffee table covered with bottles of assorted alcohol and mixers.

LaFayette was already seated talking to a dark haired man with bright blue eyes. I could see how bright they were even in the dimness of the club. They were very close to one another and LaFayette's hand was on the other mans knee. LaFayette had a look of love in his eyes and I knew he was going to go home with this man which made me happy. He was one less person I had to worry about coming back to the motel tonight.

Sookie sat down and grabbed a bottle of water off the table and chugged it. Tara and Pam breezed past me and sat down with Fantasia, they began talking intensely and shooting looks my way every once in awhile. A young man dressed like George Michael from the 'Faith' music video handed me a drink while looking me up and down and departing with a wink. He went back to his group of friends that were on the other end of the couch Sookie was sitting on. I walked over and sat beside her. "How are you doing?" I asked her taking a sip of the drink, cringing when it was just straight gin and placed it down.

"This couch is the most marvellous couch I've ever sat on. It feels amazing." She was rubbing her hands back and forth on the velvet couch and her eyes darted around the club taking in her surroundings, singing along to an Animotion song.

I rubbed my hand along the couch and smiled. "It's really soft."

She raised her hand and placed it on my leg and started to rub. "Your pants feel incredible. I want to touch everything in this club!" She shouted. I had seen Sookie drunk and high but not like this, I had never seen her let go quite like this. I liked it, she always had a rigidness to her like she could feel the impending responsibility looming over her but it was no where to be seen tonight.

A club photographer came around and asked if he could get a picture. We both agreed, standing up and putting our arms around each others waist. The picture was taken and the photographer quickly moved on before I could ask to see it. When I turned Sookie was gone and was sitting with the George Michael kid at the end of the couch. She was laughing hysterically, whatever they were talking about entertained her greatly.

I sat down and grabbed a bottle of water and looked over at Pam. "Pam!" I shouted in her direction. Her head turned to look at me but she didn't say anything. A serene smile slowly spread across her face. "What time is it?" I asked.

She reached into her bra and pulled out her phone. "Almost one."

"How the fuck have we been here for almost two hours?" I shouted.

"It's the drugs baby doll." Fantasia said stopping in front of me.

The music died down while a man with a microphone stopped in front of our booth and began to speak the crowd on the dance floor. "How are we all doing tonight?!" The man asked, he was answered with a chorus of cheers. "We have a very special guest tonight to delight and tantalize you fine young people. Without further ado please welcome Fantasia Heavensridge!"

"It's time to get this party started." Fantasia grinned at me and headed to the edge of the booth.

"Hello my eighties darlings!" She sang into the microphone. The crowd below went insane and nearly everyone around me cheered along with them. "I am the Mistress Fantasia and I am here to celebrate this very special, very fantastic, very eighties night with you and I'm gonna do it the only way I know how. DJ if you please." She purred.

'It's Raining Men' started pumping through the speakers and I couldn't help but laugh. Fantasia was dancing expertly as she began to lip sync the words. When the chorus came around thousands of pieces of shiny confetti began to rain from the ceiling when she announced it was raining men. I picked one up to find that they were shaped like little men. I looked over at Sookie to show her, she was dancing with the boys at the end of the couch. "Stackhouse!" I called to her.

She turned to look in my direction and sat down beside me so she was pressed right up against my leg. "I'm having the best time." She smiled.

I smiled back at her. "Look, it is raining men." I showed her the confetti which caused her to giggle uncontrollably.

"When Fantasia's done do you want to dance with me?" She asked her chin resting on my shoulder.

I nodded. "Yeah, I do."

She sighed, pushed herself up and kissed me firmly on the mouth. "Good." She smiled and went back to dancing with the boys at the end of the couch.

I looked over at Pam, Tara and LaFayette who were all grinning at me. I was stunned that she had kissed me. I knew I shouldn't have been, she was high but _she_ kissed _me_. I could still feel where her lips had touched mine. I wanted to kiss her again, I wanted to touch her, I wanted to do everything that I was too afraid to do sober because it could be my only chance to do so.

I broke eye contact with my three friends when Fantasia plopped down beside me. "How was I doll face?"

"Amazing." I said partly because it was true and partly because it was what she wanted to hear.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"I didn't realize you were hosting this event." I said leaning back against the couch.

"Do you think I came all the way to Shreveport just for you?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow.

I nodded. "Yeah." I looked up and watched Sookie run past me with the George Michael boys.

When I looked back to Fantasia she was staring at me. "Eric, if you love her now isn't the worst time to make it known." She said pushing a piece of my hair back into place.

I nodded, stood up, wandered downstairs and scanned the dance floor for her large poof of hair. When I couldn't find her I ventured out and looked at every face in hopes of finding her.

I hit a wall of people and stopped, not being able to pass them. The Pet Shop Boys started playing and I began swaying to the music, loving the song. Just before the lyrics started I felt arms wrap around my waist. I turned and looked down at Sookie who was looking up at me dancing to the music, singing along.

_I've got the brains_

She brought her hands up to her temples, her eyes wide, pupils still blown.

_You've got the looks_

She ran her hands down my arms looking at my body.

_Let's make lots of money _

I pulled her close and started grinding against her, enjoying the sensation. She wrapped her arms around my neck and began moving in time with me. I focused on the beat, on her body trying to memorize it. I could feel where her muscles were tight, in her stomach, her back, her arms and where her body was soft, her hips, her thighs, her breasts.

She closed her eyes and began to lean back. I caught her before she could fall and held her head in my hands.

This was the peak of the evening.

Everything was teetering on this moment while she swayed back and forth as 'Opportunities' began to fade and it turned into the thumping bass of 'Blue Monday'. I drank her in, glitter stuck to her face, her makeup smudged, her eyes closed, her mouth slightly parted, sweat gleaming on her forehead and chest, the neon lights making her skin blue.

I could feel the music pulsing through me, I could feel the heat of the room sticking to me, the bass shaking the floor. I could feel the need, the desire, the want, the sex in the air, I could feel Sookie's pulse, my heart beat.

I could feel everything.

She opened her eyes so she was looking right at me and sang along with the song as I cradled her head in my hands.

_How does it feel/To treat me like you do/When you've laid your hands upon me/And told me who you are_

If anything was going to happen it was going to happen now. I leaned down and pushed my lips against hers. I felt her body tense and she stopped swaying. I pulled away from her and looked into her eyes trying to decide if I should continue, deciding if she wanted it, deciding if I had crossed a line.

She looked up at me, her eyes moving back and forth frantically before she threw her arms around my neck and began kissing me back. I grabbed the back of her head and wrapped my arm around her waist pulling her flush against me, her feet dangling off the ground.

At least five songs passed as we continued to kiss, her mouth opening and allowing me to touch the tip of my tongue to hers. Even though she was sweating and covered in hairspray I could still smell the lavender scent of her hair and the grapefruit perfume of her skin. Her hands which she had weaved into my hair began to move down my neck, to my shoulders and finally landing on my biceps as she pulled away. "I want to leave." She whispered into my ear. I put her down and she grabbed my hand pulling me towards the door.

I looked over to where I last saw LaFayette, Pam and Tara and only saw Tara looking down at us. She was smiling and she nodded before she turned and disappeared. I wasn't going to have to worry about any of them coming back to the motel tonight.

Not like it mattered. I knew that I was not having sex with Sookie tonight for two reasons. The first reason was, while the drugs made me horny I couldn't get a full erection while I was on them. The second reason was I didn't want to have sex with her while we were both high, with a half hard dick, while she had a boyfriend she may or may not still have feelings for.

I wanted out first time to passionate. I wanted to be in my right mind. I wanted her to be in her right mind. I wanted to be in prime physically condition. I wanted her to be single. I wanted to hear her say I love you back when I said it to her.

I wanted her to be mine.

She pulled me out of the club and onto the street. It felt incredibly cool outside which I knew wasn't the case. It was just hotter in the club than it was in the night air. The feeling was refreshing, welcoming and much needed after nearly three hours in the stuffy building. I stopped quickly at a convenience store and bought a few bottles of water, we were going to need it.

She pulled me across the street and back to the motel. She walked lazily, her fingers tangled with mine until we arrived at our room. She reached into her bra and pulled out a key card, unlocking the door.

"Are you coming down?" I asked her. The wildness she had in the club was gone and she looked more relaxed, calmer. I could only assume the drugs were wearing off. I could start to feel the effects being lost on me.

She turned to look at me as we walked into the room. "Yeah, I'm still high, just not like I was." She sighed as I threw the water onto Tara and Pam's bed. "I need to shower, get everything off of me." She said quietly.

I nodded. "Thats a good idea. I'll probably go after you." I took off my mesh tank top.

She stared at me for a long time before she nodded and turned around. "Unzip me?" She asked. I walked across the room and unzipped her dress pushing it off her shoulders as is it piled around her feet. She was topless with her back to me, she was wearing a black cotton thong and I took a step back to take in the shapely curves of her ass. On the top of her right cheek was a tattoo that said 'Esta es tu vida'.

"When did you get this?" I asked running my thumb over the elegant text. I watched as goosebumps spread over her skin.

"When I was eighteen and it was a impulsive decision. At least I had enough sense to put it in a place where I could hide it." She shook her head. "I was very drunk when I got it."

"I thought they wouldn't give drunk people tattoos." I let my fingers run up and down her spine, she shivered under my touch.

She shrugged. "People will do anything if you throw enough money at them."

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"It means 'This is your life'. I was going through a serious _Fight Club_ phase at that point in my life and the tattoo artist was Spanish, so that's the tattoo I got. I hate it." She shook her head again.

"I kinda like it." I said tracing it with my fingers one final time.

She clutched her phone in her hand while her arms covered her chest. She turned her head to look up at me. "I'm gonna go shower. I'll see you in a couple minutes I guess." She smiled and padded into the bathroom. She closed the door but not all the way leaving it open a couple of inches.

The water began to run and music started to play. 'More Than This' by Roxy Music filled the motel room and rolls of subtle steam were emerging from the crack in the door.

She was right there, just a few steps away and I could be with her, naked. I had imagined her naked so many times it would be nice to know if the real thing was anything like I imagined.

And I was filthy too.

And I needed a shower.

And what a waste it was to take two separate ones when we could just take one together.

She started singing, singing well, like the day she sang me our song and I stood determined to do this. I was going to shower with her.

I peeled off the pants LaFayette had given me and kicked off my shoes sending a shower of glitter everywhere. I took a deep breath and moved slowly towards the bathroom.

I opened the door and was met by a thick blinding wall of steam. It was her voice that guided me to where she was.

_It was fun for a while__/__There was no way of knowing__/__Like a dream in the night__/__Who can say where we're going?_

This was a bad idea. I knew that deep down but that was my sober brain. My drug fuelled brain thought it was a great idea and the matter of fact was I needed to be near her. My body was electric and needed to touch her. I needed my lips to graze every inch of her body, I wanted to hear her cry out my name. I wanted to pretend for one night that nothing was complicated and everything was good. That I wasn't a coward and she wasn't dating a total asshole.

I opened the curtain just enough so I could step into the tub. I watched her tense and she stopped singing only for a moment before she resumed. The spray was only just hitting me as she scrubbed her face and body, the glitter and makeup circling the drain. It was only after she had decided she was clean enough that she turned around.

Her eyes were wide, rimmed in black and her skin was pink from the heat of the water. I had seen most of Sookie's body, bikinis didn't really cover much so she looked almost exactly as I had imagined her. Her breasts were small, a little more than a handful but perky and she had a small triangle of pubic hair. She was groomed but she wanted to remind who was ever looking at her she was still a woman.

She was what I wanted, she was natural and sexy and utterly perfect.

She never looked anywhere other than my eyes. "Why aren't you looking at me the way I'm looking at you?" I asked her.

"I've already seen you, remember? The day we met?" She smiled and placed her hands on my hips, turning and pulling me until I was under the shower head and she was standing where I just was.

"I remember." How could I forget? I lathered up my hair and body rinsing the character off me, feeling more like myself.

I opened my eyes and looked at her, she was staring at me expectantly. I reached out for her hand and pulled her towards me, intertwining her fingers with mine. I held her close, her breasts pushing against my chest, my half erection pressing into her stomach before I bent down and kissed her. All the urgency and lust that filled the kisses at the club returned as we let the water cascade down around us.

Her hand tangled in my hair as she pushed her tongue into my mouth. The kisses were sloppy, full of want and desire. I ran my hand down her side and cupped her breast as she moaned, lightly skimming the cheeks of my butt with her fingers. Sookie ran her tongue over mine as she jumped up and tried to wrap her legs around my waist. It wasn't a good idea. I was completely unprepared and barely kept us up right.

I found my footing and straightened us out as I looked down at her. "I think we should get out of here."

She nodded in agreement and detangled herself from my body. She got out, grabbed at towel and dried her hair before wrapping the towel around herself. She walked out into the room without another word to me and she started to go through her bag.

I past her, grabbing a pair of boxers out of my bag and put them on quickly.

"I forgot pyjamas." She said quietly. "I told you always forget something."

I laughed. "How do you forget pyjamas?" I asked with a smile. I reached into my bag and pulled out a white and blue stripped dress shirt. "Wear this."

She took it from me, dropping the towel and wrapping the shirt around her, doing up the buttons slowly. I pulled back the sheets and got into bed, Sookie climbing in beside me.

We laid on our backs, she looked up at the ceiling as I looked over at her, her hands caressing the bed spread. Things suddenly felt very real and my heart started to race. The club and drugs had created a surreal feeling and her makeup had made her look like someone else but now she was just Sookie, my Sookie and the fear started to burn inside me. My heart was racing as I stared at her trying to decide if I wanted to go for it, changed the dynamic of our friendship. I had a feeling everything was going to change after tonight regardless of what I did. I rolled over and pulled her closer to me so I was propped up on one arm looking down at her.

I wanted to tell her that I thought she should leave Bill, I wanted to tell her I didn't want her to go back to Nashville or that I would follow her wherever she went. I wanted to tell her I loved her and that I wanted to fight this fear with her but instead I said something safer, something cliché but a hundred percent true.

"You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." I brushed her gradually drying hair away from her face.

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls." She replied back lazily.

My eyes drifted over her face as I lowered myself to kiss her. "I really don't." I said before putting my lips on hers. She weaved her hands in my hair and pulled me closer to her. She breathed in deep opening her mouth to let our tongues meet as her back arched and I slipped my arm between her and the mattress.

Her phone was still playing music and I could here Annie Lennox, the soundtrack to our first sexual encounter. So many songs I associated with Sookie that I would never be able to listen to again without my chest tightening. If I didn't get the courage to tell her how I felt before she left, my music library was going to get considerable smaller.

She was moaning quietly as we kissed each other like we may never get the chance to again. The fingers from her free hand trailed down my side and sunk into my flesh when she hit my hips trying to pull me closer. I rested my hand on her knee and she parted her legs for me. She whimpered as my hand slowly moved down her thigh, tickling and teasing her.

She thrusted her pelvis up when I finally reached her core and ran my fingers down her slick wet folds. "Please." She panted out as I slipped two fingers inside her.

She cried out and began grinding against my hand. I moved my fingers in and out of her slowly, taunting her. I watched the flush in her face spread to her chest and I could feel the heat radiating off her skin. I tried to focus on her face as I pushed my fingers deeper into her and curled them, rubbing her in just the right place. I wanted to see her when she came, I wanted to see the look of pleasure on her face, the pleasure that I created.

I felt her tighten around my fingers and she grasped at my biceps. "Eric," she breathed out. A moan escaped my lips at the sound my name rolling off her tongue encased in orgasmic ecstasy. "Eric" she repeated as she came, her nails clawing into my skin, her body trembling under mine.

I pulled my fingers out of her and watched her face as she came down, she had the tiniest smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. She opened her eyes and looked at me before she pushed herself up to kiss me. She snaked her hand down my body and tried to palm my half erection, I grabbed her hand. "Not tonight." I said shaking my head.

Confusion swept her face as she tried to read me. "Don't you want me?" She asked, hurt flowing through her words.

I laughed, I couldn't help it. It was taking everything in me to say no, to not make love to her but I knew this was not the right time. The whole night seemed filthy and it was not what I want to associate our first time with. "Not like this." I said seeing that my comment did nothing to alleviate her confusion. "You will wake up tomorrow and remember everything. You will feel guilty and awkward, even more than you already will and I do not want you to feel that." I paused. "I don't want to be the one who causes it either."

She looked away from me and nodded. "Okay, so I guess we should just go to sleep."

I nodded and she rolled over on her side so she wasn't facing me. I pulled her close to and buried my face in the crook of her neck. "Goodnight Stackhouse." I whispered.

"Goodnight Eric." She whispered back before we both closed our eyes and let sleep wash over us.

* * *

**So what did you all think? Probably not what you all wanted but I like that there first time wasn****'****t under the influence of drugs. **

**I apologize for how long this took. The next chapter is pretty much written so you shouldn****'****t have to wait to long for it. **

**Also please let me know if you think I should up my story from T to M. **

**Songs:**

**Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears**

**Push It - Salt N****' ****Pepa**

**Rio - Duran Duran**

**Obsession - Animotion **

**It****'****s Raining Men - The Weather Girls**

**Opportunities - The Pet Shop Boys**

**Blue Monday - New Order**

**More Than This - Roxy Music**

**Don****'****t Let It Bring You Down - Annie Lennox **

'**More Than This****'**** and ****'****Don****'****t Let it Bring You Down****'**** are the two that are a must listen. These two songs changed my life. **

**Anyway I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, Unfortunately it****'****ll be the last happy one for awhile. The next chapter is called ****'****The Night Before****'****. **

**Please review! Thanks for reading!**


End file.
